Hualong Qu Family Ancestral Hall

Hualong Qu Family Ancestral Hall

The Hualong Qu Family Ancestral Hall is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangzhou City.

The Qu Family Ancestral Hall is located at No. 1 Shenhuan Road, Xinting Village, Hualong Town, Panyu District, and is the ancestral temple of Qu Dajun, one of the “Three Great Masters of Lingnan” during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and a patriotic poet. The Qu Family Ancestral Hall is a typical structure built from a combination of brick, wood, and stone. Its walls made of blue bricks and the many round wooden pillars inside the hall give it an antique charm. The floors and corners are constructed from large strip-shaped stone pillars, which have withstood centuries of weathering and remain well-preserved. In July 2002, it was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Guangzhou City.

Since its renovation in 1813, the Qu Family Ancestral Hall has stood for over 200 years. It faces southeast and is oriented toward the northwest. The building has three parallel sections, with the central section being the main ancestral hall, flanked by Qingyun Lanes and corridors on both sides, and it extends three bays deep. The total width is 34.58 meters, the total depth is 53.18 meters, and the construction area is 1,827.26 square meters. The central path consists of three bays in width and three bays in depth, all featuring flush gable roofs, hipped gable walls in the shape of a reversed “人,” dragon boat ridges sculpted with plaster, barrel tiles with gray plaster, clay tile edging, blue brick walls, and granite stone bases.

The central hall is 17.08 meters wide across three bays and 10.73 meters deep across three bays, with thirteen rafters in the front extending to a four-rafter veranda. The beam frame is adorned with cloud-patterned camel humps and bracket sets, and the bottoms of the beams and crossbeams are carved with decorative patterns. The front features square granite eave pillars, while the rear has round wooden eave pillars with granite column bases and column shoes. The side walls have brick-carved lattice windows. Between the rear eave pillars, there are four-panel screen doors. The wall friezes are painted. The central bay originally displayed a horizontal plaque inscribed with “Guangyu Hall,” signed “Written and inscribed by Han Feng, Envoy in Charge of Guangdong, Early Summer of the Guiyou Year of the Jiaqing Reign.” In front of the central hall is a terrace, 17.08 meters wide and 11.34 meters deep, with a corridor on each side. The side walls of the secondary bays have brick-carved lattice windows, and the terrace is fronted by a granite stone railing. In front of the terrace is a courtyard flanked by two corridors. The courtyard is paved with granite slabs. Each corridor has a flush gable roof, a plastered antique ridge, and stone railings on the secondary bays. Each corridor is three bays wide and two bays deep, featuring two square granite eave pillars and four round wooden pillars inside.

The rear hall is 17.08 meters wide across three bays and extends fifteen rafters deep across three bays, with a four-rafter veranda in the front. The front veranda is decorated with wooden carvings on the camel hump bracket sets. The eave pillars are octagonal red sandstone pillars, with round wooden central pillars in the middle and red sandstone column bases. The rear central pillars originally held wooden carved flower screens, which no longer exist. The side walls of the secondary bays are built with circular arched doorways. The center features a platform base for enshrining ancestors. In front of the rear hall is a courtyard flanked by two corridors, 17.08 meters wide and 5.15 meters deep across three bays. The courtyard is paved with granite slabs. Each corridor is one bay wide and one bay deep, with two square granite eave pillars in the front and a six-rafter roll-roof canopy.

The two Qingyun Lanes are each 2.25 meters wide. The left lane has a stone plaque inscribed with “Zundao” (Following the Way), and the right lane has a stone plaque inscribed with “Cuti” (Proceeding to the Courtyard). The buildings on the east and west sides feature flush gable roofs, hipped gable walls in the shape of a reversed “人,” barrel tiles with gray plaster, and granite stone bases with blue brick walls. The first bay is a corner room, 6.50 meters wide and 6.80 meters deep, with two stories. Entering the corner room from the Qingyun Lane, there is a courtyard with a staircase leading to the second floor, and a front corridor with granite railings. Currently, the floorboards are missing, and the staircase has been destroyed.

In the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929), County Magistrate Chen Yue established Wenshan Memorial Primary School in the Qu Family Ancestral Hall to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Dajun. A “Wenshan Memorial Hall” was set up on the right side of the central hall to house and display precious manuscripts and other memorabilia of Qu Dajun. The school had a school song composed in honor of Qu Dajun, which students sang every morning. On Tomb-Sweeping Day each year, teachers led students to pay respects at Qu Dajun’s tomb and recount his historical deeds.

Xinting Village: Xinting Village is located to the north of Hualong Town, adjacent to the Pearl River, and borders Sixian Village of Xinzhao to the west. As of May 2009, the village had a total agricultural population of 692 people across 240 households. The current total area for farming and breeding is 758 mu. This includes 433 mu of fish ponds, about 300 mu of flower cultivation, and 25 mu of woody fruit trees. The village has timely adjusted its agricultural production structure, particularly expanding the area under flower cultivation, significantly increasing the village's agricultural output value and farmers' income. In 2008, the total agricultural output value was 7.2 million yuan, showing considerable growth in economic development, mainly through collective economy... More details about Xinting Village++