Qiangang Ancient Village

Qiangang Ancient Village

Qiangang Ancient Village is located in Qiangang Village, Taiping Town, Conghua District, Guangzhou. It was first built during the Song Dynasty and has a history of over 800 years. The Lu family of Qiangang are descendants of Lu Xiufu, one of the “Three Loyalists of the Song Dynasty.”

Lingxiu Fang

The village houses the Guangyu Ancestral Hall, which won the first prize in the “UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation” in 2003 and has been listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. It holds extremely high historical and cultural value among China’s ancient villages. The Guangyu Ancestral Hall was built around the same time as the Forbidden City in Beijing and has a history of nearly 600 years.

Qiding Gate

In the west watchtower of Qiangang Ancient Village, there is a wooden carved eaves board named “River City Map.” It depicts the cultural landscape and natural scenery along over 20 kilometers of the northern bank of the Pearl River in Guangzhou during the prosperous Kangxi and Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty. The exquisite carving has led cultural relics experts to call this priceless treasure the “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” of Guangzhou.

Qiangang Ancient Village has four gate towers, nine academies, three ancestral halls, and four watchtowers. Outside the village lies a “village-protecting river.” The alleys within the village are numerous, deep, and winding, with houses, ancestral halls, sheds, ponds, and more — making it a well-preserved and typical representation of Cantonese residential architecture.

Most residents of Qiangang Ancient Village bear the surname Lu. Historical research confirms that they are descendants of Lu Xiufu, a famous anti-Yuan statesman of the Southern Song Dynasty. Lu Xiufu, along with Wen Tianxiang and Zhang Shijie, is honored as one of the “Three Loyalists of the Song Dynasty.” In the second year of the Xiangxing era (1279), when the Song army was defeated by the Yuan army at Yashan (now south of Xinhui, Guangdong), he chose death over surrender, heroically carrying the emperor and plunging into the sea.

Address: Qiangang Village, Taiping Town, Conghua District, Guangzhou

Type: Ancient town/village

Recommended visiting time: 4–5 hours

Opening hours: Open all day

Ticket information: Free admission

Renjing Shen Ancestral Hall (Shen Family Ancestral Hall)

Renjing Shen Ancestral Hall (Shen Family Ancestral Hall)

Transportation

By car, follow National Highway 105 (Guangcong Road) to the intersection in Taiping Town, then turn onto Provincial Highway 118 toward Zengcheng. At the Shaxi intersection, turn into Shaxi Avenue to reach the destination.

West Watchtower

Zhenming Gate (South Gate)

Qiangang Village History Museum

Stone-paved road

East People's Canteen

Traditional Chinese Village – Qiangang Village

Guangyu Ancestral Hall is the first ancient building in Guangdong with a confirmed construction date and has been called an “extremely valuable architectural specimen” by the renowned archaeologist Mai Yinghao. It is unique among cultural relics and historic sites both in China and worldwide.

Guangyu Ancestral Hall is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. Qiangang Village was established by descendants of Lu Xiufu, the Southern Song prime minister. The Guangyu Ancestral Hall in the village has an uncertain construction date. One account says it was first built in November of the fourth year of the Yongle era in the Ming Dynasty (1406 AD), while another claims it was built during the Xuande era (1426–1435). Records show that the ancestral hall underwent repairs in various dynasties after its initial construction. The architecture of Guangyu Ancestral Hall holds significant historical value.

The Guangyu Ancestral Hall complex has three courtyards, with a total width of 13.80 meters and a depth of 44.20 meters, covering a construction area of 816 square meters and a site area of about 992 square meters. It faces south and features a main structure of three halls with wooden frameworks in the middle and gable walls bearing the load on the sides. The roof is covered with plain tiles but features a hanging gable roof, reflecting architectural influences from the north — making it a rare example of northern-style architecture among ancestral halls in the Pearl River Delta region.

Qiangang Village: Located in the southeastern part of Taiping Town, Qiangang Village currently has a population of 2,300, with 447 farming households. It administers 15 economic cooperatives and 2 natural village associations, covering a total area of about 4.5 square kilometers, including 1,700 mu of arable land.

The Qiangang Village Committee is 27 kilometers from downtown and about 7 kilometers from Taiping Market Town. The area is hilly. The restoration project of the Guangyu Ancestral Hall in Qiangang won the first prize for Outstanding Project in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation this year. Qiangang Nuomici lychees have been awarded national geographical indication product protection. The village committee actively promotes development... More detailed information on Qiangang Village++