A Unique Ancestral Hall

The Tangxia Fang Clan Ancestral Hall was initially built in the second year of the Jingyan era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1277). During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1522-1566), it was relocated to its current site. It was destroyed at the end of the Qing Dynasty due to military conflicts but was rebuilt on the original site starting in the sixth year of the Tongzhi era (1867) and completed in the twenty-second year of the Guangxu era (1896). The main hall faces south and includes a three-section, two-courtyard ancestral hall and a flower hall to the right. The mountain facade features three sets of ornate horse-head walls. The architectural plan largely preserves the style of the late Ming Dynasty, with the feast hall, entrance hall base, square pond railings, and other elements being relics from the Ming era. From the layout of the architecture, the entrance hall has nine bays, the feast hall has seven, and the sleeping hall also has seven. The ancestral hall has a water courtyard composed of a protective river, square pond, and arch bridge, and its hierarchical structure was built according to the ancestral temple ranking system of princes and marquises. The flower hall is located on the west side of the ancestral hall and is a corridor-style triple courtyard structure. The Tangxia Fang Clan Ancestral Hall is grand in scale, complete in layout, and has an orderly heritage, with the surrounding environment maintaining its historical appearance. The building also preserves Qing Dynasty wood carvings, colored paintings, and Ming and Qing stone carving art, which hold significant artistic value. It is of great importance and positive significance for the study of the social politics, economy, and ancient clan system of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Fang Clan Ancestral Hall features a rare water courtyard, square pond, and protective river, with all beams, columns, joists, purlins, and bird braces painted in vibrant colors.