The Cui Clan Ancestral Hall of Beiting

The Cui Clan Ancestral Hall of Beiting

The Cui Clan Ancestral Hall of Beiting is a protected cultural heritage site of Guangzhou City.

The Cui Clan Ancestral Hall of Beiting is located at No. 14 Weishui Street, Beiting Village, Xiaoguwei Subdistrict, Panyu District. The ancestral hall was first built in the fourth year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1878), renovated in 1997, and restored again in 2008. It faces west and is laid out along three lanes with three courtyards. The total width is 30.46 meters, the total depth is 52.47 meters, and the floor area is 1,602.58 square meters. All three lanes of the ancestral hall feature flush gable roofs, hipped gable walls shaped like an inverted "V", grey plastered decorative ridges, clay barrel tiles, grey brick walls, and granite foundations. In front of the ancestral hall lies a spacious open area with a pair of flagpole stone stands. The main gate is adorned with a wooden plaque inscribed with the characters “Cui Clan Ancestral Hall”. On either side are bell and drum towers, as well as a Qingyun Lane (Alley of Eminence). The stone plaque on the left Qingyun Lane is inscribed with the characters “Rite Gate” (礼门), while that on the right bears the characters “Righteous Gate” (义路). A pair of drum-shaped stone pedestals stands in front of the gate. The central beam frame of the main hall hangs a wooden plaque inscribed with “Dayan Hall” (大衍堂), with the upper inscription reading “Fourth Year of Guangxu Reign, Wu-Geng Year” and the lower one “Second Spring Month, 1997”. The courtyard is paved with strip-shaped granite slabs. The rear hall features a front porch, and an ancient well is located in the courtyard adjacent to the rear hall's auxiliary chamber.

In December 2008, the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government designated the Cui Clan Ancestral Hall as a protected cultural heritage site of Guangzhou. The ancestral hall remains well-preserved and holds significant historical value for the study of ancient ancestral hall culture in Panyu.

Beiting Village: Located in Xiaoguwei Subdistrict, Beiting Village is 20 kilometers from downtown Panyu and 3 kilometers from the Xiaoguwei Subdistrict Office. It neighbors Guangzhou University and South China Normal University within Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center. Prior to the construction of the Higher Education Mega Center, the villagers were mainly engaged in agricultural production. After the development of the university town, some villagers remained in their original residences, while others affected by relocation moved to the newly built Gucun New Village. The village now covers an area of approximately 3.98 square kilometers, with a registered population of over 4,300 and a floating population of nearly 3,000. The collective economic income primarily comes from leasing village-owned land, as well as income generated from unused land in the old village and shops in Beiting Plaza... More details about Beiting Village++

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites of Guangzhou City