The Ancestral Hall of Bai Lunsheng

The Ancestral Hall of Bai Lunsheng

The Ancestral Hall of Bai Lunsheng is a Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Ancestral Hall of Bai Lunsheng, located at No. 22 Yuexi Street, Longtan Village, Haizhu District, was first built in the third year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1738) and reconstructed again in the 25th year of the Guangxu reign (1899). It is a provincial-level protected cultural relic. During the Guangxu period, Bai Lunsheng, a descendant of the Bai family, became a wealthy merchant by running the Yuesheng Trading Company. He established the Xingren Academy and a hospital charity hall in the village, donated funds for disaster relief, and supported impoverished villagers, earning praise from local residents. He was granted the official title of “Approved Dao Official” by Emperor Guangxu and awarded a plaque inscribed with “Charitable and Benevolent” in recognition of his contributions.

The architectural style of the Ancestral Hall of Bai Lunsheng can be regarded as a “model” among old ancestral halls in Guangzhou. The entire structure is built with bluestone bricks and tiles. The carved reliefs on the eaves’ columns depicting “Guo Ziyi’s Birthday Celebration” are vivid, featuring hundreds of figures. The level of detail is astonishing. In addition, the bracket sets, beams, column bases, and other elements inside the hall showcase exquisitely crafted stone carvings, wood carvings, brick carvings, and lime carvings featuring various animals and plants. The designs are lifelike, with smooth lines—a rarity among similar buildings in Guangzhou. On the “eave columns” on both sides of the main hall, there are uniquely sculpted “lion overlooking feng shui” motifs, which are now rarely seen among the many ancestral halls in Guangzhou and are hailed as a “unique marvel of Lingnan.”

When the Ancestral Hall of Bai Lunsheng was completed, the renowned scholar Pan Yantong from Nanhai composed a congratulatory couplet. The second line reads: “Alive as a righteous man, and in death as an enlightened deity. Year after year, the praise spreads—people say this elder governs the laws of the netherworld. In dreams he comes to give counsel, urging goodness just as when he was alive.” This refers to the legend that Bai Lunsheng became a deity after his death. There is also a pair of small stone lions inside the Bai Ancestral Hall—one of which has lost its teeth, knocked out by the bayonets of Japanese invaders during their aggression, serving as evidence of Japan’s war crimes in China.

On July 17, 2002, it was included in the fourth batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Longtan Community: Longtan Community…… More information about Longtan Community++

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units