The Ancestral Temple of the Jian Clan in Guangzhou

The Ancestral Temple of the Jian Clan in Guangzhou

The Ancestral Temple of the Jian Clan is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangzhou.

The Ancestral Temple of the Jian Clan is located within No. 27 Middle School on Panfu Road in Guangzhou, and was built to commemorate Jian Wenhui. The original ancestral temple was situated on Guixiang Street, Zhongshan 5th Road, and was relatively small. Later, at the initiative of brothers Jian Zhaonan (a director of the Nanyang Brothers Tobacco Company) and others, it was relocated to its current site. Construction began in 1933 and was completed in 1936. In 1947, Zhongxian Middle School was founded at this location.

The ancestral hall faces south and is oriented along a central axis, with the main structure aligned down the center. Side rooms are separated by Qingyun Lanes on both sides. The building has three courtyards and covers a construction area of 1,481.84 square meters. The front gate is three bays wide (14.45 meters) and two bays deep (9 meters). A stone plaque inscribed with “Ancestral Temple of the Jian Clan” is embedded in the main gate. It features a flush-gable roof with plain grey barrel tiles and trimmed green-glazed eaves tiles. The main ridge and vertical ridge decorations have been destroyed. The central hall is also three bays wide (14.45 meters) and three bays deep (14.15 meters), with lofty and simple beam frameworks. The front porch beams are carved with decorative patterns. It has a flush-gable roof, but the ceramic sculptures on the roof and the vertical ridge decorations have been damaged. The rear hall is three bays wide and three bays deep (13.4 meters), with a flush-gable roof, though the ridge decorations have been destroyed.

Jian Wenhui was a native of Nanhai, Guangdong. He achieved the top score in the imperial examination (palace examination) in the second year of Qiánhēng during the Southern Han Dynasty (918 AD) and was named the top scholar (zhuangyuan). Known for his integrity and uprightness, he rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He had outstanding political achievements but later stood up against a court coup and was demoted to serve as Prefect of Zhenzhou (now eastern Yingde) in northern Guangdong, where he died in office.

In August 1993, the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government designated it as a cultural heritage protection unit.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangzhou Cultural Heritage Protection Units