The Yu Ancestral Hall in Dongguan

The Yu Ancestral Hall in Dongguan

The Yu Ancestral Hall in Dongguan is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Yu Ancestral Hall was built in the first year of the Hongzhi reign during the Ming Dynasty (1488). It measures 53 meters in length and 17.4 meters in width, with a total area of approximately 922 square meters. Constructed with red stone and blue bricks, the structure consists of four courtyards. The main gate bears a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Yu Ancestral Hall.” The second courtyard features a wooden plaque, with “Elegant Legacy” on the front and “Worthy Ministers of Two Dynasties” on the back, inscribed by Ruan Shangzhong of Pujiang.

The entire building remains well-preserved. There is an inscribed stone tablet titled “Record of the Yu Ancestral Hall,” carved in the first year of the Hongzhi reign (1488) during the Ming Dynasty. It was composed and calligraphed by Chen Jiayan, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and an official of the Ministry of Revenue. This tablet documents the migration and settlement of the Yu family from the Song to the Ming Dynasty in Dongguan. It provides valuable material for the study of the history of Dongcheng.

The Yu Village area was originally called Hou Shan and is the hometown of Yu Shiqi, a Jinshi of the Ming Dynasty. Yu Shiqi passed the imperial examination in the 26th year of the Wanli reign (1598) and once served as the magistrate of Ningguo County.

Yu Shiqi, also known as Songyue, was a native of Dongguan, Guangdong, and a Jinshi during the Qing Dynasty.

In the 41st year of the Wanli reign (1613), he was promoted from the position of Vice Minister of the Southern Ministry of Revenue to become the Prefect of Ningguo Prefecture in Anhui. He established the prefectural government offices—an achievement that had not been accomplished in two hundred years—and soon after fell ill and passed away. The Yu Gong Remembrance Shrine is located at Wulipai in Qimen County, Anhui... More detailed information about Yu Shiqi++