Diyuan Hall

　　 Diyuan Hall was first built during the Ming Dynasty and was reconstructed in the 25th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1760), with multiple renovations carried out later. The hall faces southwest and is built along a north-east to south-west axis. It features a single-courtyard layout, with the main hall constructed using a post-and-lintel wooden frame. It is three bays in both width and depth, with a flush-gable roof. Wing rooms are situated on both sides. In front of the hall lies a crescent-shaped pond, surrounded by a stone-paved area where 22 stone flagpoles stand, each 7 to 10 meters tall. Most of these were erected by clan members who passed the imperial examinations for either the juren (recommended man) or jinshi (presented scholar) degrees during the Qing Dynasty. The main gate features a decorative archway; the front side of the archway bears the inscription “Zhang Family Ancestral Hall” in large characters, while the back reads “Lineage Extending from the West.” Upon passing through the archway and courtyard, you reach the main hall, which is part of the second section of this ancient two-courtyard structure. Under the eaves on both sides of the front hall, there are three clay sculptures each depicting famous historical opera characters. Passing through the corridor, you arrive at the “Diyuan Hall” main chamber. At the center of the hall hangs a large horizontal plaque inscribed with the three gilded characters “Diyuan Hall.” On the central wall of the hall is a grand ancestral shrine that houses the spirit tablets of generations of ancestors. On either side of the main hall are positioned a drum on the left and a bell on the right. Additionally, there are four wing rooms on each side.

　　 Diyuan Hall houses a copy of the “Genealogy of the Zhang Clan,” which is said to have been funded and printed by Zhang Shunchou, a descendant of the Zhang family who resided in Singapore. The genealogy is over 500 pages thick, featuring illustrations and text, including ten illustrations, 26 calligraphic works and inscriptions, as well as a preface and colophon. According to the genealogy, the descendants of the Zhang family have now reached 24 generations. The eighth-generation fourth son, named Wenxian, and the twelfth-generation second son successively migrated to Taiwan. Today, descendants of the Zhang family can be found in areas such as Tainan, Taichung, Taipei, Keelung, and Hualien.

　　 The descendants of Zhang Shigan, who settled in Tainan, have not forgotten their roots. They contributed funds twice to renovate their ancestral home, Diyuan Hall. Moreover, following the model of the Diyuan Hall in Taxia, they also built a “Diyuan Hall” in Tainan as a memorial.

　　 In 2006, Diyuan Hall, as an ancient architectural structure from the Qing Dynasty, was included by the State Council in the sixth group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.