Ancestral Hall of Xu from Nanyuan

Ancestral Hall of Xu from Nanyuan

The Ancestral Hall of Xu from Nanyuan is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Ancestral Hall of Xu from Nanyuan is located at No. 14, Xingxianfang Street, Xiayuan Community, Suidong Street. It was first built in the third year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1443), and was renovated in 1926 and 1998. Facing east and situated west, it features a three-bay, two-courtyard layout, with a total width of 13.64 meters and a total depth of 26.23 meters, covering a total construction area of 357.78 square meters. The roof is of the flush-gable type, with wok-handle-shaped firewalls, a dragon boat ridge adorned with plaster sculptures, and barrel tiles made of gray-glazed pottery. The foundation is built with blue bricks and stones, and the floor is paved with red terrazzo bricks. The front is an open ground, surrounded on the left, right, and front by a newly built wall over one meter high. The front wall has an entrance gate, and outside the front wall lies an open space with four stele stones for flagpoles standing upright, although their inscriptions have faded. Further ahead stands a newly built large brick screen wall, 6 meters high and 14 meters wide, with a large circular Chinese character “Fu” (福, meaning “blessing”) in the center. The other three sides are surrounded by residential buildings.

The front gate is three bays wide, 13.64 meters, and two bays deep, 7.99 meters, with a construction area of 108.98 square meters. The front porch has a three-step beam structure, and the front eaves are supported by two granite square pillars with tiered and waisted bases, showcasing fine craftsmanship. The side bays feature shrimp-dragon beams and built-in platforms, with granite slab flooring. The main gate is embedded with granite door jambs and stone door sockets, and the stone lintel is inscribed with “Ancestral Hall of Xu from Nanyuan,” without any inscribed signatures. The red wooden door couplet is carved in intaglio: “Articles from the southern land nurture elegance; branches and leaves of the garden thrive luxuriantly.” The rear porch has two granite square front eave pillars, six central doors, and a wooden plaque hanging at the top inscribed with “Fame Spreads to the East Sea,” with the signature “Respectfully inscribed by Xu Shaozhen, Second-Class Meritorious Figure, in the tenth year of the Republic of China.” The wooden couplet beside the central doors reads: “The illustrious deeds of Zhongshan shine brilliantly in history; the virtuous conduct of the young scholar is fragrant in ancestral worship.” It features an orange-red background with golden characters in seal script. The floor has been replaced with polished tiles.

The rear hall is three bays wide, 13.64 meters, and three bays deep, 9.2 meters, spanning eleven rafters, with a construction area of 125.49 square meters. It has four granite round golden pillars and two granite square front eave pillars. In the middle bay of the front section, a moon beam holds a wooden plaque inscribed with “Nanzhou’s True Lineage,” with the upper inscription “Reconstruction of Nanyuan” and the lower inscription “Autumn of the Year of Wuyin, 1998.” The front golden pillar couplet reads: “Descendants of the Six Dragons after they pierced the heavens are numerous and frequently appointed as generals; descendants in the Blessed Land of the Five States are ennobled generation after generation.” The rear golden pillar couplet states: “The waters of Nanzhou are clear and flow far, originating in the East Sea; the scenery of the garden fields is lush and flourishes, rooted in Zhuxi.” At the back is a shrine, with a wooden plaque hanging from the upper beam inscribed with “Hall of Ancestral Veneration,” with the upper inscription “The third month of the Wanli year (1443), renovated in the winter of the fifteenth year of the Republic of China (1926),” and the lower inscription “Erected by Sun Zhaoxian, a local scholar and Second-Rank Official, Prefect of Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang Province.” On the rear wall of the right side bay hangs a portrait of Xu Haishi, a Ming Dynasty imperial examination graduate and former Minister of Justice and Personnel. The floor has been replaced with polished tiles. The front courtyard of the rear hall now has mosaic flooring. Both sides feature four-rafter winding corridors, with three steps leading up to the rear hall.

The main figure honored in this ancestral hall is Xu Ruichao, also known as Nanyuan, the founding ancestor of the Xu clan in Xiayuan Village and a Chengwu Official during the Ming Dynasty. The ancestral hall is currently used by clan members.

The Ancestral Hall of Xu from Nanyuan was once the headquarters of the Xiayuan Peasant Association. According to the 2005 publication The Red Historical Sites of Guangzhou, compiled by the Party History Research Office of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China: In July 1924, Xu Tingquan, a native of Xiayuan Township, Luobusi, Panyu County, joined the peasant association through the introduction of Zheng Qianli, a special envoy of the Guangdong Provincial Peasant Movement. In November of the same year, Xu Tingquan organized local peasants to establish the Xiayuan Peasant Association. The association elected Xu Tingquan as its chairman and president, starting with 118 members, later growing to over 200, spread across 15 nearby villages. On June 15, 1925, Xu Tingquan led the Xiayuan Peasant Self-Defense Army, under the command of Zheng Qianli and others, to assist Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary government in suppressing the Merchant Corps rebels.

Xiayuan Community: Located in the northeastern part of Huangpu District, Suidong Street’s Xiayuan Community spans 4.38 square kilometers, bordering Shabu Community to the east, Hengjiao River to the south, Nanji Community to the west, and Bigang Community to the north. It consists of 13 resident groups, with a local permanent population of over 5,178.

Over the years, Xiayuan Community has emphasized promoting fitness for all. The community currently has a total of approximately 2,150 square meters of cultural and sports activity venues. The Xiayuan Sports and Cultural Park covers an area of 20,000 square meters, including a 2,150-square-meter cultural room. There are 13 amateur cultural and sports teams that regularly organize activities, ensuring events are held monthly... More detailed information about Xiayuan Community++