Ancestral Hall of the Centenarian

Ancestral Hall of the Centenarian

The Ancestral Hall of the Centenarian is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancestral Hall of the Centenarian, also known as the She Tian Ancestral Hall, is located about 10 meters to the left of No. 40 North Yi in Nanshe Village, Chashan Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. It was built in the 23rd year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1595), and underwent renovations in the 10th year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty (1884), the 6th year of the Republic of China (1917), and 1999. The structure faces north and is arranged along a south-north axis, featuring a three-bay, three-courtyard, four-gallery layout with two inner courtyards. It has a total width of 10 meters and a depth of 21.7 meters, covering an area of approximately 217 square meters. The building is constructed with a combination of brick, wood, and stone, featuring grey brick walls, red sandstone pillars, door frames, and foundation stones. It has a flush-gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable-and-hip roof ridges, clay sculptures on the roof ridges, and round grey-tiled eaves tiles. The front gate bears a plaque inscribed with “She Tian Ancestral Hall” and a couplet reading “Three Branches of the Family, Ten Generations of Lineage.” On both sides inside the front gate are stone steles titled “Record of the Ancestral Hall of the Centenarian.” The central hall displays a wooden plaque inscribed with “Yi Si Hall,” and the clay sculpture on the roof ridge is marked with “Guangxu Jiashen” and “Made by Yi Xin Shop.” The rear hall’s altar enshrines the ancestral tablets of the ninth to twelfth generations of the Xie family from the Ming Dynasty. Originally the residence of Xie She Tian, the building was later converted into an ancestral hall by him. Xie She Tian is the courtesy name of Xie Yanqing, the tenth-generation ancestor of the fourth branch of the Xie family in Nanshe, who was born in the 17th year of the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty (1504) and died in the 30th year of the Wanli era (1602). This ancestral hall holds significant value for the study of ancestral halls in the Lingnan region. It was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2006.

Nanshe Village: Located southeast of Chashan Town and about 18 kilometers from downtown Dongguan, Nanshe Village enjoys convenient transportation. Covering an area of 4.13 square kilometers, it comprises seven villager groups, with a registered population of 3,690 and a non-native population of about 10,000. In 2016, the village’s total operating income at both village and group levels reached 33.62 million yuan, with a net income of 18.08 million yuan, demonstrating steady growth of the collective economy.

Since 2015, Nanshe Village in Chashan Town has been featured on CCTV programs six times, showcasing the profound historical culture and unique charm of Chashan and even Dongguan to audiences nationwide. Among them... More details about Nanshe Village ++