Zhitang Xi Family Ancestral Hall, Longyou, Zhejiang

The Xi family of Zhitang originally resided in Danzhu Village, Tongcheng, Anhui Province, and migrated to Zhitang at the end of the Song Dynasty. The Xi Family Ancestral Hall was built in the early Qing Dynasty. It has three bays and three entrances, facing southeast. It is 7.6 meters high, 14.7 meters wide, and 33.6 meters deep, covering an area of 494 square meters. All three entrances have seven-frame beam-lifting structures with front and back corridors. There are corbels on the pillars of the front and back corridors, with angled brackets placed on top. A set of elephant trunk dougong supports the eaves purlins above the brackets. The design is both aesthetically pleasing and mechanically sound. The ancestral hall is well-preserved, with the roof tiles intact and the wooden components free from insect damage and decay. It is a key cultural relic protection unit in Zhejiang Province.