Duanmin Yuan’s Ancestral Hall

　　Duanmin Yuan’s Ancestral Hall is situated on the north side of Datong Street in the city (currently the site of the county government). It was erected by order of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty in tribute to Yuan Jiasan, who served as the Governor of the Grain Transport Office. The complex spans an area of 6,600 square meters. The main gate once bore a plaque inscribed with “Duanmin Yuan’s Ancestral Hall,” and on either side of the entrance stood tall stone lions. Along the western wall of the courtyard were 37 stone carvings of the “Memorial Before Expedition” and “Memorial After Expedition,” handwritten by Yue Fei. On the east side of the courtyard stood a three-room hall, in front of which a square pond of approximately 33 square meters was dug. The pond featured a rockery built from Taihu stones, and to the south of the pond stood the Suggestive Emerald Pavilion. A three-bay main hall was also constructed, centered around a one-meter-high platform, featuring flush-gable roof construction topped with gray tubular tiles. Under the eaves were painted crossbeams and bracket sets. In front of the platform stood a stone stele erected in the second year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1876) by Cui Qiangui, a former subordinate of Yuan. During the “Cultural Revolution” period, most of the original structures were demolished, leaving only three surviving bays of the hall and one stone stele within the current premises of the county government. In 1988, it was listed as a county-level cultural heritage protection unit.

　　Source: Huaiyang Government Affairs Website