Nanshe Ancient Village of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Nanshe Ancient Village of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Nanshe Ancient Village of the Ming and Qing Dynasties is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a key cultural relics protection unit in China.

Nanshe Ancient Village is located in Chashan Town and is a historic settlement from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its overall layout resembles a boat, and traditional wedding performances are held during festivals. The area enjoys convenient transportation and has dining options within the village.

This 800-year-old Ming and Qing ancient village features densely arranged, intricately carved buildings with upturned eaves. The ancient architectural complex is well-preserved, with minimal later additions, blending a touch of boutique charm that truly gives visitors a sense of traveling back in time.

Ancient, deep alleys stretch out of sight, with no clear beginning or end. Beside the lush banyan trees lining the village paths lies a large pond, flanked by old-style houses built from grey bricks. With small bridges over flowing water and willows gently swaying, the ancient architecture is reflected in the still waters of the pond—creating an exceptionally serene atmosphere.

The village is home to many ancient ancestral halls, their exquisitely carved details forming a beautiful scenic line. Each hall represents a family’s gratitude for their ancestors’ legacy and hopes for future generations’ honor. Upon closer inspection, although the colors of the reliefs have largely faded, they remain vividly lifelike and truly admirable.

The Hundred-Year Archway in Nanshe Village was built to commemorate four centenarians. Nearby is the Hundred-Year Old Man Ancestral Hall, reconstructed from the residence of a centenarian according to his dying wish. The Zizheng Residence was the home of Xie Yuanjun, a Jinshi scholar from the Guangxu era who served as an official in the Ministry of Rites. It sits midway up a small hill, with stone steps and railings retaining their noble grandeur from the past. The corridors feature exquisitely crafted flower motifs, while the central chuihua door is carved with floral and bird patterns—including peacock tails and phoenix heads that protrude from the wood, vivid and lifelike. Nanshe Village’s ancient architecture differs from “Hakka walled houses” or “Chaoshan mansions,” representing instead the water town characteristics of the Pearl River Delta region. Each residence stands independently as a “family temple,” with its own well and bluestone alleyways. Every bluestone lane is separated by a small water channel. These “family temple” structures are mostly brick-and-stone archway-style buildings with four pillars, three bays, and three stories, featuring hipped-gable roofs and bracket sets under the eaves. The doors are adorned with finely carved wooden lintels. Over a hundred residences are interwoven among dense foliage, exuding classical charm. The wooden and stone carvings of animals and flowers on the “family temple” gates are all strikingly lifelike.

The Rentiangong Ancestral Hall was built in the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1873) for Xie Rentian, the 14th-generation descendant of the Xie family in the village, and was renovated in 1996. It has a northwest-to-southeast orientation and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 9.45 meters in width, 14.9 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 142 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls, red sandstone plinths, bases, door frames, columns, and column bases. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a dragon boat-shaped clay ridge with a pair of ao fish on top, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles. There are three levels of red sandstone steps in front of the gate, and four stone flagpole stands for a Jinshi scholar are erected on the left.

The Hundred-Year Old Man Ancestral Hall was built in the 20th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1592) to commemorate a centenarian in the village and was renovated in the 58th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1794). It has a northwest-to-southeast orientation and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 18.4 meters in width, 10.7 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 195 square meters. The structure is made of brick, stone, and wood, with grey-brick walls, red sandstone plinths, bases, door frames, columns, and column bases. It features a flush gable roof, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a grey-clay antique-patterned ridge on the front courtyard with a pair of ao fish on top, a dragon boat-shaped ridge on the rear courtyard, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles. The front courtyard’s roof is supported by the walls, while the rear courtyard’s front section is supported by bracket sets on mushroom-shaped columns, and the rear section by the walls. This ancestral hall is of great value for studying ancestral halls in the Lingnan region during the Ming and Qing periods.

The Jianzhai Ancestral Hall was built in the 18th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1753) and was renovated in the 3rd year of the Guangxu reign (1877) and in 2004. It has a northwest-to-southeast orientation and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 9.4 meters in width, 15.2 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 143 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and red sandstone plinths. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay ridge, grey-glazed barrel tiles, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles.

The Qiaogu Ancestral Hall was first built in the 3rd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1664) for Qiaogu Gong, the eighth-generation ancestor of the Nanshe Xie family. The ancestral hall faces south and follows a two-courtyard, three-bay, quadrangle layout. It has a flush gable roof with a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable rooms with flush gable roofs on both sides for lighting and ventilation, and a central patio. The building covers an area of about 116.3 square meters.

The Yunpan Ancestral Hall, commonly known as the “Flower Hall,” is located on the north bank of Baishoutang, in Fugui Alley, behind Yusheng Building (commonly known as the West Building).

Yusheng Building (commonly known as the West Building) is a well-preserved residential building in Nanshe Village with distinctive Republican-era features. Its exterior resembles a Western-style villa, while the interior retains the traditional Chinese “four waters converging” patio and the structure of a pyramid-roofed house. This blend of Chinese and Western styles was built by Xie Yusheng, hence the name Yusheng Building.

The Nanshe Xie Clan Ancestral Hall is located opposite the Hundred-Year Archway. It was built in the 15th year of the Zhengde reign of the Ming Dynasty (1520), renovated during the Qing Dynasty, and restored in 1995. It faces north and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 9.6 meters in width, 12.7 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 122 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls, red sandstone columns, door frames, and base stones, as well as bluestone column bases, steps, and pedestals. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay ridge, and grey-glazed barrel tiles. The front gate bears a plaque reading “Xie Clan Ancestral Hall,” followed by a screen wall. The rear hall displays a wooden plaque inscribed with “Jushun Hall.” The ancestral altar in the rear hall enshrines the spirit tablets of generations of Xie ancestors from the Chenliu Hall, from the ninth generation during the Ming Dynasty to the 23rd generation during the Republic of China.

The Yunye Ancestral Hall is named “Jingde Hall” and covers an area of 158.8 square meters. The fundraising amount was HK$580,000 and RMB 28,000. The lion-shaped column bases in the hall are all made of bluestone, and the beams, brackets, and eave covers are imitation antique wooden components.

The Dongyuan Ancestral Hall is located in the center of Nanshe Village, Chashan Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, to the left of the Yunye Ancestral Hall. It was built in the 3rd year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1911). Due to its small size, villagers chose a new site to rebuild it, and it was renovated in 1991. It faces southeast and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 9.9 meters in width, 16 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 158 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and red sandstone plinths. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay antique-patterned ridge, grey-glazed barrel tiles, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles. The front gate’s eave board features exquisite wood carvings and is labeled with red paper reading “Dongyuan Ancestral Hall.” The ancestral altar in the rear hall originally enshrined the spirit tablet of Dongyuan Gong.

The Yingluo Ancestral Hall is located to the left of the Dongyuan Ancestral Hall. It was built in the 35th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1770) and renovated in 2004. It faces southeast and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 10.8 meters in width, 20.8 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 225 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and red sandstone plinths. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay antique-patterned ridge, grey-glazed barrel tiles, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles. The front gate bears an engraved plaque reading “Yingluo Ancestral Hall,” and there is a screen wall inside. A perimeter wall is built in front of the front gate. The rear hall bears a plaque reading “Maoben Hall,” and the ancestral altar enshrines the spirit tablets of Yingluo Gong and generations of Xie ancestors. Yingluo Gong was the 14th-generation ancestor of the Nanshe Xie family.

The Wanjie Ancestral Hall is located to the left of the Yingluo Ancestral Hall. It was built in the 45th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1617) and renovated in the 44th year of the Qianlong reign (1779) and in 2004. It faces southeast and follows a three-bay, three-courtyard, four-corridor, two-patio layout, measuring 11.75 meters in width, 22.5 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 264 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and a red sandstone plinth on the front wall. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay dragon boat-shaped ridge, and grey-glazed barrel tiles. The front gate features exquisite murals and wood carvings under the eaves, and there is a partition screen inside. The ancestral altar in the rear hall enshrines the spirit tablets of the 7th to 11th generations of ancestors from the Ming Dynasty. Two steles from the 40th year of the Qianlong reign (1775) recording renovations are embedded in the back wall.

The Shaojian Ancestral Hall is located to the left of the Wan cui Ancestral Hall. It was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1776) and renovated in 1997. It faces north and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 9.7 meters in width, 9.4 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 91 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and red sandstone plinths. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay dragon boat-shaped ridge, grey-glazed barrel tiles, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles. The front gate bears a red stone engraving reading “Shaojian Ancestral Hall” and a couplet reading “Civil and military officials rise like phoenixes and dragons.” The rear hall bears a wooden plaque reading “Bode Hall,” and the ancestral altar enshrines the spirit tablets of Shaojian Gong and generations of ancestors. This ancestral hall is of certain value for studying ancestral halls in the Dongguan region during the Qing Dynasty, as well as Nanshe Village and the Xie family.

The Wancui Ancestral Hall is the lineage hall of Xie Wancui, the seventh-generation ancestor of the Nanshe Xie family. It was also first built during the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era (1610s), and was renovated in 1937 and 1998. It faces southeast and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard layout. The front gate has two pedestals, and the main entrance is very simple. The wall base, door frame, and lintel are all made of red sandstone. The side door pillars are inscribed with the couplet “Blessings from seven generations, branching into a thousand lines,” with the horizontal plaque reading “Wancui Ancestral Hall.” Upon entering is a narrow wooden partition screen, with another couplet on the back: “When living in the village, respect family and clan; when entering the temple, honor ancestors and lineage.” The main hall bears a horizontal plaque reading “Yanghui Hall,” beneath which the ancestral tablets are enshrined. The building covers an area of 212.16 square meters. It has a flush gable roof and a mixed wooden beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons.

Nanshe Guan Di Temple, also known as Emperor Wu Temple, is located to the left of the office of the Dongfang Villager Group in Nanshe Village, Chashan Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. It was built in the 36th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1697) and renovated in 2002. It faces east and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, one-incense pavilion, one-patio layout, measuring 18 meters in width, 20 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 360 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and red sandstone foundations. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay ridge, grey-glazed barrel tiles, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles. The front gate has pedestals on both sides and bears a plaque reading “Emperor Wu Temple,” followed by a screen wall. An independent incense pavilion is built in the patio. The main hall bears a plaque reading “Qiankun Righteous Qi” and enshrines the statue of Guan Di. The building’s murals, clay carvings, pottery carvings, and stone carvings are exquisite, making it highly valuable for studying Qing Dynasty Lingnan architecture.

The Hundred-Year Archway was first built between the 20th year (1592) and 26th year (1598) of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. In ancient times, when medicine was not yet advanced, “it was rare for people to live to seventy.” At that time, four centenarians in Nanshe Village—Xie Yanzhen, Xie Shisi, Xie Zhenhou’s wife Huang, and Xie Yanzhan’s wife Ye—each lived to be one hundred years old. The county magistrate Li Wenkui and prefect Zhao Yuan reported to the imperial court, requesting permission to build an archway in their honor. After approval, funding was granted to construct the memorial, which was named the “Hundred-Year Archway.” Thus, the front of the Hundred-Year Archway resembles a memorial arch, while the back is an ancestral hall, reflecting the respect for women at the time. Hence, the ancestral hall’s plaque is inscribed “Renshou Hall.”

The Xie Yujiqui Family Temple is located to the left of No. 47, Dongfang, Nanshe Village. It was built in the 27th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1901) and renovated in 1997. It faces south and follows a three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor, one-patio layout, measuring 13.75 meters in width, 21.35 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 294 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls and red sandstone plinths. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, huodiao gable walls, grey-glazed barrel tiles, and green-glazed roof tiles with lotus petal edges and drip tiles.

The Hundred-Year Old Man Ancestral Hall, also known as the She Tian Ancestral Hall, is located to the left of No. 40, Beiyi, Nanshe Village, about 10 meters away. It was built in the 23rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1595) and renovated in the 10th year of the Guangxu reign (1884), the 6th year of the Republic of China (1917), and 1999. It faces south and follows a three-bay, three-courtyard, four-corridor, two-patio layout, measuring 10 meters in width, 21.7 meters in depth, and covering an area of about 217 square meters. The structure is made of brick, wood, and stone, with grey-brick walls, red sandstone columns, door frames, and base stones. It features a flush gable roof, a mixed beam-frame structure of raised beams and through-tenons, gable walls in the shape of a person’s character, a clay ridge, and grey-glazed barrel tiles.

Location: Nanshe Village, Chashan Town, Dongguan City

Ticket: 30 RMB (half price with student ID)

Nanshe Village: Located southeast of Chashan Town, about 18 kilometers from downtown Dongguan, Nanshe Village enjoys convenient transportation. Covering an area of 4.13 square kilometers, it comprises 7 villager groups, with a registered population of 3,690 and a migrant population of about 10,000. In 2016, the total operating income of the village and group levels was 33.62 million RMB, with a net profit of 18.08 million RMB, demonstrating steady growth in the collective economy.

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

Further reading:

·Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

·Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units