Nanshe Centenarian Ancestral Hall

Nanshe Centenarian Ancestral Hall

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

The Nanshe Centenarian Ancestral Hall is located on the north bank of Ximen Pond in the Ming and Qing ancient architectural complex of Nanshe Village, Chashan Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. It was built in the 20th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1592) to commemorate the village’s centenarian residents, and was renovated in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1794). Oriented from northwest to southeast, it features a traditional courtyard layout with three bays, two courtyards, two corridors, and one skylight, spanning a total width of 18.4 meters, a total depth of 10.7 meters, and covering an area of approximately 195 square meters. It has a brick, stone, and wood structure, with grey-brick walls, and red sandstone used for the wall base, plinth, door frames, columns, and column bases. The roof features flush gables, with gable walls in the shape of a reversed “V”. The front section has a grey plastered ridge decorated with antique motifs, topped with a pair of mythical ao fish, while the rear section has a dragon boat-style ridge with green-glazed roof tiles and drip tiles. The front section’s roof is load-bearing via the walls, while the front part of the rear section uses raised beams supported by bracket arms, and the rear part is wall-bearing. The ancestral hall holds significant value for the study of ancestral halls in the Lingnan region during the Ming and Qing periods. It was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 2006.

Source: Xiang’an Cultural Center

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 migrant population of around 10,000. In 2016, the total operating income of the village’s collective economic entities at both village and group levels reached 33.62 million yuan, with a net income of 18.08 million yuan, reflecting steady growth in 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++