Xia Sha Zhang Family Ancestral Hall

Xia Sha Zhang Family Ancestral Hall

The Xia Sha Zhang Family Ancestral Hall is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Xia Sha Zhang Family Ancestral Hall is located at No. 23, Xia Sha Street, Xia Sha Community, Huangpu Street, Huangpu District, Guangzhou City. Originally built in the third year of the Xianfeng reign during the Qing Dynasty (1853), it was renovated during the Republican era and again in 2003. Facing south, the hall has three bays and two courtyards, with a total width of 13.05 meters, a total depth of 38.69 meters, and a total floor area of 504.90 square meters. It features a flush gable roof, hipped gable walls with undulating ridges, and a dragon boat-style clay ridge adorned with plaster carvings. The eaves are decorated with carved panels. The gable ends feature brick carvings of figures, and the wall friezes include landscape-themed murals. The ground has been repaved with polished bricks. The front faces streets and a fishpond, while the left, right, and rear sides are surrounded by residential buildings.

The front gate is three bays wide (13.05 meters) and two bays deep (6.7 meters), totaling nine rafters, with a construction area of 87.44 square meters. The front porch has a three-step beam adorned with carved dougong blocks. There are four granite front eave columns, and the xia gong beams are fitted with crouching lions and uniquely shaped bracket sets, flanked by spandrels at both ends. Study platforms are built in the two side bays. The main gate is fitted with granite door leaves, door pivots, and a stone lintel inscribed with “Zhang Family Ancestral Hall,” with the upper inscription reading “Granted by the Ling Mountain Clan” and the lower reading “Inscribed on the Auspicious Day of Autumn, Year of the Metal Goat.” Inside, there are melon-shaped column beam structures and two granite rear eave columns.

The central hall is three bays wide (13.05 meters) and three bays deep (9.4 meters), totaling thirteen rafters, with a construction area of 122.67 square meters. It has four granite interior columns, between which six-panel screen doors are installed. Each of the front and rear sides has two eave stone columns, and there are archways on both sides of the rear eaves. The wall friezes contain landscape murals. In the center of the main bay hangs a wooden plaque inscribed with “Shu Ming Tang” (Hall of Narrated Fame), with the upper inscription reading “Reconstructed in the Golden Autumn of 2003” and the lower reading “Erected on an Auspicious Day in the Year of Gui Wei, Autumn.” The front interior columns bear a couplet: “Narrating the Legacy of the Qīng River’s Esteemed Ancestors, Who Excelled in All Strategies, Promoting Culture and Martial Prowess with Distinguished Merits,” with the upper inscription “Reopening Ceremony of Xia Sha Zhang Shu Ming Tang” and the lower “Erected on an Auspicious Day in the Golden Autumn of the Year of the Metal Goat.” The rear interior columns feature another couplet: “The Ancestral Hall Reopens, Passing on the Family’s Renown Through Generations; The Hall is Perpetually Honored, Promoting Ancestral Virtues for a Thousand Autumns of Celebration,” with the upper “Celebrating the Reopening of Xia Sha Zhang Shu Ming Tang” and the lower “Respectfully Presented by All Relatives of Chisha Village, 2003.” The central hall is preceded by a courtyard with a gable-and-hip roofed corridor on each side. The courtyard is paved with granite, measuring 6.82 meters in width and 8.72 meters in depth.

The rear hall is three bays wide (13.05 meters) and three bays deep (8.7 meters), totaling thirteen rafters, with a construction area of 113.54 square meters. It has four granite interior columns. The front interior columns bear a couplet: “The Ancestral Hall Reopens, Its Brilliance Shared as We Endure Glorious Times Together; The Source of Our Lineage Flows On, As Talented Figures Emerge, Celebrating Peace in a United Voice.” The upper inscription reads “Celebrating the Reconstruction of Zhang Family Ancestral Hall” and the lower “Respectfully Presented by Xia Zhou Jia Gao Tang, November 2003.” The rear interior columns bear another couplet: “Sharing the Same Origins from the Qujiang River, Drinking from the Pearl River, United in Kinship; Jointly Worshipping at the Golden Bell Tomb, Upholding Filial Piety in the Ancestral Hall, Admiring the Graceful Demeanor, Managing the Household in Harmony.” The upper inscription reads “Commemorating the Completion of the Reconstruction of Zhang Shu Ming Tang, Established in the Early Winter of 2003” and the lower “Respectfully Presented by Miao Tou Zhang Wan Hu Tang, 2003.” The center of the main bay hangs a wooden plaque inscribed with “Feng Du Liu Fang” (Fame of Graceful Demeanor). In front of the rear wall is an altar and incense table, enshrining ancestral tablets. The wall friezes include murals. The rear hall is also preceded by a courtyard with a gable-and-hip roofed corridor on each side. The courtyard is paved with granite, measuring 5.15 meters in width and 4.77 meters in depth.

After renovation, the ancestral hall is well preserved and now serves as a venue for leisure and entertainment for local residents.

Xia Sha Community: Basic Information about Huangpu Street’s Xia Sha Community

I. Basic Information

The restructured Xia Sha Community is located in the urban center of Huangpu District, covering a total area of approximately 5.6 square kilometers. It consists of four natural villages—Xia Sha, Zhujiang, Xinxi, and Dajisha—and eleven economic cooperatives. The community has a registered resident population of 5,270 and a floating migrant population of about 5,000. It includes over 1,200 acres of agricultural land, more than 260 acres of forested hills, one public primary school, one private school, two kindergartens, one market, and approximately 20 enterprises and companies... More detailed information about Xia Sha Community ++