Tangwei Li Ancestral Hall

Tangwei Li Ancestral Hall

Tangwei Li Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

Tangwei Li Ancestral Hall is located in the northwest corner of Tangwei Village, facing south with its back to the north. It features a five-bay, three-courtyard layout covering an area of over 770 square meters. Built in the early Ming Dynasty, it has undergone three renovations, with the most recent one taking place in 1999. On either side of the entrance are flagpole stands, erected by Li Yanguang, who ranked third in the imperial examination at the provincial level in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. The second courtyard hall is named “Zhuiyuan,” and under the front eaves hang two plaques: “Wen Kui” (Literary Luminary) and “Jing Yuan” (Classic Champion), both replicated by later generations. The original plaques were erected by Li Zhi, a successful candidate in the imperial examination during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, but they were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Inside the hall, spirit tablets fill the walls, and a couplet reads: “Gazing about, we recall the virtuous deeds of our ancestors; holding devotion in our hearts, we are filial sons and compassionate grandchildren.” At that time, three suckling pigs brought from the tomb of the sixth-generation ancestor lay quietly on the altar before the incense smoke curled upwards, as offerings to the ancestors.

The structure follows a five-bay, two-room, three-courtyard layout, with a hybrid beam frame of raised beams and through-tenon construction, topped with a flush gable roof. It measures 17.8 meters in width and 43.7 meters in length, covering a total area of 777.9 square meters. After Li Zhi passed the imperial examination during the Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty, he hung a wooden plaque inscribed “Wen Kui” (Literary Luminary) in the Zhuiyuan Hall of the ancestral hall, which was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), the ancestral hall was converted into the 16th primary school in Dongguan and became the first primary school in Shipai.

Tangwei Village: Located in Shipai Town in the eastern part of Dongguan City, Tangwei Village covers an area of 1.57 square kilometers. The village has a well-connected road network, with three major roads—Taihe Middle Road, Shigang Avenue, and Li Heng Road—running through it, offering convenient transportation and a pleasant environment. The ancient village within Tangwei Village, known for its well-preserved historic architecture, ecological surroundings, and rich traditional folk culture, was designated as part of the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council in May 2006. The ancient village is enclosed by an old perimeter wall, built along the natural mountain terrain, featuring a rigorously planned, well-preserved layout with a variety of house types and blended architectural styles, all rich in Lingnan characteristics... More details about Tangwei Village++