Chapter 3135: Liugengtang He Clan Ancestral Hall and the First Writing Ceremony of Straightening Attire and Honoring the Teacher
Jumbo Huang's Travel Sketches and Research, Jumbo Heritage List of Ancient Architecture by Jumbo Huang
Chapter 3135: Liugengtang He Clan Ancestral Hall, the First Writing Ceremony of Straightening Attire and Honoring the Teacher
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After appreciating some musical instruments, I went out to explore the streets. I walked to Sanrenting (Three Myrtle Hall), said to be the birthplace museum of Guangdong music. Located at No. 7 Anning West Street in Beicun, it was built during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty, with exquisite plaster relief decorations on its facade. This served as a memorial hall for Guangdong music. From the late Qing to the Republic era, spanning a century, Sanrenting became a gathering place for Guangdong's music and operatic elite, effectively becoming the music hall of Shawan, the cradle of Guangdong music. Famous Shawan musicians like He Bozhong, He Liutang, He Yunian, and He Shaoxia frequently invited local and provincial music lovers to play, discuss, and compose Guangdong music. Many masterpieces, such as "Rain Beats the Banana Leaves" and "Dragon Boat Race," emerged during this time.
Shawan Beicun is located north of Shawan town center, south of Qingluo Road, covering about 2.4 square kilometers. It has 13 villagers' groups and a total population of over 1,760. Boasting a history and culture spanning over 800 years, its ancient streets and alleys are ingeniously laid out. Major lanes are paved with granite slabs. Within it are provincial-level cultural protection units like Liugengtang, Guangyutang, and Chebei Street, forming an architectural complex representative of Lingnan ancient buildings. Xiangxian Middle School, north of Beicun center, has nearly a century of educational history.
Sanrenting features a very old carambola tree, and its two-courtyard old residence is well preserved. I visited Sanbaoxuan, a shop selling exquisite handicrafts. The Jinshi Lane is also paved with stone slabs. Sandaxiang has heavier foot traffic. Inside Jinweili, Zhennan Ancestral Hall, at No. 20 Anning West Street in Shawan Ancient Town, originally belonged to a branch of the He clan. It has been transformed into the Huang Youzhen Thuja Art Museum. Following the Qing-Ming architectural style of the original Zhennan Ancestral Hall, it features a refined three-courtyard, two-well brick-wood-stone layout. Blending with Shawan's ancient architectural atmosphere, the museum displays many woodcarving works by the renowned contemporary artist Huang Youzhen.
At the entrance hangs a couplet: "Left line: Thuja fragrance lingers, butterfly dreams come to pipa strings; Right line: Friendship passes gently, under peach blossom fans before swallow lamps."
Huang Youzhen is from Chaozhou, Guangdong, born in 1966. He graduated from the Guangdong Ceramic School's sculpture program in 1988. He is currently the executive deputy director of the Guangdong Higher Education Alliance, an associate professor, animation director, and Guangdong Provincial Arts and Crafts Master. He is a leading figure in animation specialty construction in Guangdong, and has served as a judge for national and provincial thuja art exhibitions. He founded the animation department of Guangdong Literature and Art Vocational College, the animation department of Chaozhou Normal College of Hanshan Normal University, the Guangdong Baiyoutang Thuja Root Carving Art, and the Guangdong Huang Youzhen Thuja Art Museum.
Carving is an art that transforms decay into wonders, bringing dead roots back to life through the sculptor's knife. Professor Huang Youzhen, away from urban hustle, lives in seclusion in the serene Shawan Ancient Town, nurturing his spirit and concentrating on creation like an untethered crane. The fusion of life and art forms his starting point in thuja root carving. He often travels far to thuja origins like the Daba Mountains and Taihang Mountains, spending much time and effort searching for prime materials in deep mountains, even scaling cliffs for top-grade thuja. Through meditative, ascetic reflection, layout planning, and meticulous carving, he embeds wisdom into precision. His works reject stiffness, aspiring to be soulful objects that communicate and move people. Each piece is unique, embodying decades of his life experience and accumulated cultural depth.
For over thirty years, Huang Youzhen has been engaged in animation creativity, design, direction, and production supervision, while passionately pursuing clay sculpture, woodcarving, and Chinese painting. Through prolonged artistic exploration and refinement, he has developed a distinct romantic, exaggerated style, with each work exuding a vivid, expressive surrealist spirit.
The Cha Shou lion plaster relief on Zhennan Ancestral Hall's descending ridge, the carved wooden lions on the shrimp bow beams, special-shaped dougong brackets, sparrow braces, and chi tou brick carvings are all preserved. There are two stone drums at the door. I strolled inside; a young woman tried to play music through speakers, but the website was malfunctioning. Then I saw her go prepare tea. I was the only visitor. Besides sculptures, the museum is filled with abundant greenery, reflecting the owner's refined taste.
I circled around to the front of Yucai Primary School and saw a huge ancient tree. Yucai Primary School in Shawan Xicun was founded in 1946. It is an advanced unit for town-level educational research and one of the experimental schools for innovative, leapfrog education of Beijing Normal University, renowned for its good ethos, high quality, and distinctive features. Currently, it has 12 classes with 595 students, covering 6,900 square meters, with a built-up area of 4,638 square meters.
To the right of the school is a villa. In the square, there was even a stall selling Spring Festival couplets. I saw [Jumbo Heritage List] No. 31608: Rushan He Ancestral Hall, where people were also setting up stalls. Several elderly folks were chatting. Recently, Shawan Ancient Town creatively revitalized Rushan He Ancestral Hall, turning it into the Shawan Ancient Town New Era Civilization Practice Station. This old ancestral hall thus "got a new lease on life," transforming from an "empty house" into a "popular pavilion." The concept of "community-building culture" has made it a one-stop service site for community construction, already serving over 35,000 visits.
From the modern city center to centuries-old ancient towns, cultural venues take on new roles in the new era. The continuously improving modern public cultural service system covers both urban and rural areas, preserving weighty histories and disseminating innovative culture. Inclusive and blossoming, Shawan, by nurturing people and shaping the city with culture, is promoting comprehensive urban cultural strength to shine, building a strong rural cultural model, elevating the heights of the civilized ancient town, and striving to become a paragon of culturally rich ancient villages.
Rushan He Ancestral Hall has also just undergone major repairs. To its left is Kengwei Straight Street, with exterior walls of red sandstone. I wandered into another alley, seeing more old houses and model households. Soon I got lost—this Shawan Ancient Town is actually quite large. Along Luoshanli Street, there are some well-preserved ancestral halls. Luoyin Lane is even quieter. On Yuelong Lane, a household's outer wall was planted with firecracker vines. I walked to Fuxiang Lane, discovering some dilapidated old houses. Further on, I came across a young couple and a young mother playing with her son. I walked to Guan Lane, encountering two young women. The terrain here is high, and nearby is an Agricultural Life Museum.
Shawan Ancient Town is also a place rich in cultural atmosphere. In the town stands a three-story hexagonal pagoda, which locally holds a status akin to a "Confucian temple," a must-visit for students touring Shawan. It's also the most popular attraction. Below the three-story pagoda is a small square, with flower beds, stone benches, and exquisitely designed corners. Climbing the stone steps, the granite railings around the pagoda are covered with red ribbons wishing for success in exams, fluttering in the wind, each ribbon bearing a student's wish.
Wenfeng Pagoda, at the junction of Guan Lane and Buyun Lane in Beicun, also known as Wenchang Pavilion or Wenkui Pagoda, was first built in the 60th year of the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty (1721). Once the highest point of ancient Shawan, it can be accessed from Jinshi Lane off Anning West Street. This hexagonal, three-story pagoda not only serves as a feng shui structure for the He clan's Liugengtang but also enshrines a statue of Wen Kui Xing (the god of literature), whom village scholars and children would worship when starting their "winter studies." The pagoda was built to flourish Shawan's literary atmosphere, encouraging scholars to study diligently and strive for progress.
Shawan is a famous ancient town in the Pearl River Delta, founded in the Southern Song Dynasty over 800 years ago. It is a scholarly town with deep cultural deposits. Over seventy jinshi and juren imperial degree holders were nurtured here. Preserved stone archway inscriptions like "Shi Shu Shi Ze" (Legacy of Poetry and Books), "San Feng Liu Fang" (Three Phoenixes Leave a Good Name), "Wen Xue Liu Feng" (Literary Flavor Lingers), and landmarks like Liugengtang, Wenfeng Pagoda, and the Ancient Town Study are all permeated with a literary aura, reflecting Shawan's 800-year tradition of valuing culture and education, passing on the legacy of farming and studying.
In ancient times, the He clan, one of Shawan's four major surnames, thrived through generations of hard work and wisdom. After accumulating wealth, they vigorously promoted culture and education, established scholarships with family funds, and gave corresponding rewards and lands to descendants who passed imperial exams, encouraging them according to rank. This gradually made it a wealthy and famous township known for its "farming and study culture" for centuries.
In olden Shawan, before children started school, parents would bring them to Wenfeng Pagoda to burn incense, bow, and invite a teacher to initiate learning through the "first writing ceremony." In the solemn and dignified ceremony, children experienced the traditional virtue of respecting teachers and valuing education, realizing they had entered a new stage of learning skills and becoming a person.
From June to August each year, Shawan Ancient Town holds traditional first writing ceremony activities. Children come to Liugengtang He Clan Ancestral Hall and Wenfeng Pagoda to embark on their educational journey, following steps like "straightening attire," bowing to the teacher, dotting cinnabar on the forehead, reciting the Three Character Classic, writing the character "person," striking a drum to declare aspirations, and making wishes. Below Wenfeng Pagoda is a wall painting themed on a scholarly boy and a leaping fish. A group of cute little scholars in richly traditional Hanfu, with cinnabar dots on their foreheads, playfully chase the leaping fish. The leaping fish, as a significant cultural symbol of Panyu District, is increasingly popular.
Shawan Ancient Town has also launched a cultural creative product—the leaping fish embroidery patch, inspired by the folk "Leaping Fish Dance." The leaping fish carries the connotation of "heading the exam list." As a symbol of academic success, Shawan Ancient Town uses embroidery to depict leaping fish on children's clothing, paired with belts featuring peach and plum blossoms, signifying passing exams and having students everywhere (Xiao Guilai, Li Bo).
After leaving the pagoda, I ducked into more alleys, visited some boutique shops, and passed by Qingjieshi, which was already closed. Continuing to Dama Lane, I saw more oyster shell walls. Passing through Junxing Gate and walking a hundred meters more, I came to the Tuo Wang Restaurant. The square fronts a pond, and behind it is the largest ancestral hall in the area.
The He Clan Ancestral Hall, also called Liugengtang, is located in Shawan Town, Panyu District. First built in the first year of the Deyou era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1275), it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The present scale was expanded during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Shawan He Clan Ancestral Hall, also known as Shawan Liugengtang, is the grand ancestral hall of the Shawan He clan. The name "Liugeng" is derived from the couplet: "Secret virtue traces back to ancestors' planting; heart's field is left for descendants to cultivate," signifying building the ancestral hall for the benefit of later generations.
Liugengtang is situated in Shawan Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou, serving the He clan, a major family in Shawan, Panyu. It is a typical example of regional clan ancestral hall architecture in Guangdong Province and a place for the He family to worship ancestors or past sages. Founded over 600 years ago, it occupies an area of 3,000 square meters. Its layout is a long, narrow rectangle from north to south, featuring in order: a large pond, a grand open square, the main gate, a ceremonial archway, a platform, the middle hall, a courtyard, the rear hall, and east and west corridors with side halls, forming a tightly structured, opulently decorated, and grandly scaled edifice. The hall's exquisite design and ingenious craftsmanship fully reflect the hardworking wisdom and artistic creativity of ancient Chinese laborers.
Liugengtang is the ancestral hall of the He clan in Shawan Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou. Starting in 1275, it took forty years to complete this splendid ancestral temple, named "Liugengtang." It is an ancient Lingnan building of long history, rigorous layout, grand scale, fine workmanship, spaciousness, majesty, and elegant style. In 1989, it was listed as a provincial cultural heritage conservation site by the Guangdong Provincial People's Government. Liugengtang has a floor area of 3334.25 square meters, arranged symmetrically along a central axis with a five-bay, five-depth format, comprising four main parts: the main entrance, the ceremonial gate (Yi Gate), Xiangxian Hall, and the rear hall.
The entire Liugengtang is noted for its many columns, totaling 112 wooden and stone pillars. The hall incorporates architectural art from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, including wood carvings, stone carvings, and plaster reliefs, each with its own style. It holds significant historical and reference value for studying ancient architecture, and its preservation to this day is truly remarkable.
It embodies the intelligence and toil of the working people of the Pearl River Delta, symbolizing the region's social, economic, cultural, and ancient town civilization. First built in the first year of Deyou of the Southern Song (1275), it was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, with the present scale expanded during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, predating Guangzhou's Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (built in 1890) by over 170 years. Shawan Liugengtang, also known as He Clan Ancestral Hall, is the grand ancestral hall of the Shawan He clan. The hall's name comes from the couplet: "Secret virtue extends far from ancestors' sowing; heart's field is left for descendants to plow," meaning building the hall to benefit later generations.
Liugengtang is located at "Lujiangning Road" in Beicun and is the founding ancestor hall of the Shawan He clan. First built in the Yi Hai year of the Yuan Dynasty (1275), it has undergone tribulations over centuries, repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Its current appearance began taking shape in the 39th year of Kangxi (1700), conforming to Ming dynasty specifications for official family temples, with expansion taking 17 years.
The entire hall slopes from north to south, with the main structure covering 3334.25 square meters, a five-bay, five-depth format including the main entrance, bell and drum towers, ceremonial gate, east and west side halls, worship court, rear chamber, and auxiliary halls. Each part is arranged according to ancient clan ritual functions, aligned along the central axis and symmetrically expanded to both sides, creating a grand and open space. Its architectural layout, structure, and elegant, magnificent decoration display superb ancient building artistry, embodying the best feng shui principles for site selection and orientation.
In 1983, after visiting, Xia Nai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences known as the "Academician of Seven Countries" and a founder of modern Chinese archaeology, praised Liugengtang as "the palace of integrated Lingnan ancient architectural art."
The first He family member to settle in Shawan was He Renjian, who in the sixth year of Shaoding of the Southern Song (1233) purchased vast tracts of land in Shawan, becoming one of Panyu's five famous prominent families (He, Wang, Li, Li, Zhao) at the time. To commemorate and venerate He Renjian, in the twelfth year of Zhiyuan of the Yuan Dynasty (1275), He clansmen built this Liugengtang. Through the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it underwent three major renovations, and in 1986, after a million-yuan restoration, it was opened to the public, becoming the "Shawan Museum."
He Renjian purchased large swathes of land in Shawan in 1233, multiplying and thriving, making his family one of Panyu's five prominent clans. To commemorate and worship him, in 1275, He clansmen built Liugengtang. Inside Liugengtang, over a hundred pillars of varying sizes supported the He clan, which dominated the region. Liugengtang was ruined by war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and frequently destroyed and rebuilt during the Ming and Qing. The He Clan Ancestral Hall faces south, with five depths and three side routes, covering about 3,300 square meters. Main buildings include the entrance gate, ceremonial gate, worship corridor, Xiangxian Hall, and Liugengtang, flanked by corridor rooms. In front of the ancient hall lies a large rectangular feng shui pond. In the open space between the pond and the main gate, 16 flagpole pedestals stand on both sides, attesting to the high number of He clan members who achieved academic honors.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the three brothers He Tang, He Guo, and He Jia passed the jinshi exam. He Qilong's great-grandson He Zihai continued the family's illustrious tradition, being talented in writing and an upright official, winning the appreciation of early Ming notables like Song Lian and others. The main entrance of the He Clan Ancestral Hall is five bays wide and two bays deep, with a hard mountain roof and a large stage front and back. It is supported by six octagonal stone columns and six large round wooden columns, all on granite bases. The wooden beam frames at the front are carved with patterns of flowers, birds, beasts, and figures. The two large wooden doors are painted with military generals in full armor as door gods. Above the door hangs a red sign with gold characters reading "He Clan Ancestral Hall." On either side of the door are stone drums, flanked by two drum towers named "Ru Xiao" (Filial Piety) and "Chu Di" (Brotherly Love).
Entering the main gate, one sees a three-bay, four-column, three-tier stone memorial archway. The front central inscription is a stone carving "Shi Shu Shi Ze" (Legacy of Poetry and Books) by the Confucian scholar Chen Baisha, and the back reads "San Feng Liu Fang" (Three Phoenixes Leave a Good Name), extolling the three He brothers who passed the jinshi exam in the Northern Song Dynasty. The archway's main ridge bears a colorful plaster relief of a large dragon, vividly lifelike.
The second entry features Xiangxian Hall, the courtyard, a moon platform, and east and west wings. The courtyard is square, spacious, and grand. The moon platform's foundation stones feature precious Yuan and Ming dynasty stone carvings. Xiangxian Hall, completed in the 41st year of Kangxi (1702), covers over 400 square meters, with five bays in width and three in depth, and a hard mountain post-and-beam roof. It is supported by four stone columns and twenty-four large wooden columns. The golden-shaped beam frames are richly surfaced with exquisite patterns. On the back wall hang two plaques: "Xiangxian Hall" (commemorating the He clan ancestor He Deming) and "Da Zong Bo" (inscribed by Zheng Yuncheng of the Guangdong Secretariat to honor the Ming official He Qilong). The last building of the ancient hall is Liugengtang, with five bays in width and three in depth, comprising three rooms with the central one being the grandest. The central gilded wood-carved shrine is rectangular, housing the ancestral tablets of the He clan.
The main features of Shawan Liugengtang are its abundant columns, exquisite carvings, rich couplets and inscriptions, and grand presence. There are 112 stone and wooden columns. The wood was sourced from Southeast Asian countries. In terms of carving, Liugengtang preserves remarkably fine stone, wood, brick carvings, and plaster reliefs, embodying the exquisite Lingnan garden architectural art. Covering 3,300 square meters with a downward slope from north to south, the hall sequentially features: a large pond, a grand open square, the mountain gate, the ceremonial gate (archway), the red steps (courtyard), the moon platform (fishing terrace), the offering hall (Xiangxian Hall), the resting hall (Liugengtang), and the east and west corridors with side halls.
In front of the mountain gate is a spacious, large bluestone-paved grand square, facing a pond. Near the pond on both sides are horse-mounting stones and eight stone flagpole pedestals, used in ancient times to erect flags honoring examination success. The east and west sides of the square have red brick walls with colorful plaster reliefs depicting motifs like "Two Dragons Playing with Pearl," "Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Good Luck," and "Kylin Bringing Auspiciousness," finely crafted and lifelike. Facing north from the square is the majestic, solemn, and splendid main gate of Liugengtang. Above the gate hangs a red plaque with gold characters "He Clan Ancestral Hall." Flanking the gate is a couplet: "Predecessors built, successors continue, enjoying it endlessly; major lineage and minor lines differ, but all remain chaste for generations." The couplet indicates that Liugengtang's construction spanned dozens of generations and hundreds of years, aiming for a better life for descendants, and wishing the entire clan to pull together in harmony forever.
The two main doors are made of extremely hard wood, each painted with a military general in golden armor as door gods, using traditional Chinese heavy color mural techniques, dazzlingly vivid. On either side of the door are stone drums, symbols of scholarly honor. The drum bases are carved with auspicious patterns, including a lion-like auspicious beast on the front and motifs like "Old Dragon Teaching Its Son" and "Three Yangs Bringing Prosperity" on the sides. East and west of the main gate, flanking structures formed by three stone columns and three wooden columns with golden-shaped beams serve as platforms: the front one is a ceremony platform for receiving rites, the rear one an "octagonal music platform" for announcing guests. Additionally, two drum towers, "Ru Xiao" and "Chu Di," together form the facade of Liugengtang, already revealing the grand aura of this ancient building.
The most noteworthy detail at the main gate is the crossbeam above the door, with its exquisitely beautiful wood carvings. Especially the 33 triple overlapping bracket sets, called "camel's humps" in ancient architecture, are carved with an endless variety: exotic flowers, birds and beasts, or figures from historical stories, all vividly lifelike. The entire front gate, with its beams, fang lintels, and dougong brackets, collectively forms a set of exquisite Lingnan architectural art treasures.
Entering the main gate, a tall stone memorial archway, known in ancient architecture as the ceremonial gate (Yi Gate) and forming the second entry of Liugengtang, stands before visitors. The forehead of the gate bears a stone carving "Shi Shu Shi Ze" (Legacy of Poetry and Books) by the famous Ming calligrapher Chen Baisha, indicating that the Shawan He clan is a scholarly family with many achieving academic honors through the imperial exams. The archway is divided by eight stone columns into three portals. The top is intricately carved with red and white stone patterns of flowers, birds, and auspicious beasts, including big red roses, gorgeous peonies, pure white chrysanthemums, and robust hunting eagles. The upper eaves are supported by wooden multi-tiered bracket sets, projecting outward in layers, with upturned eaves on all four sides. The main ridge of the archway features a colorful, seven-hued coiled dragon sculpted with plaster relief, head to the west, tail to the east. The dragon seems about to whisk its tail and soar, full of vitality and auspicious symbolism, perched atop the archway.
Passing the archway to Danchi (the Great Courtyard), looking back, one sees four bold characters on the archway: "San Feng Liu Fang" (Three Phoenixes Leave a Good Name). This honors the three He brothers who passed the jinshi exam in the late Northern Song Dynasty, revered as the "Three Phoenixes of the He Family" and remembered for generations.
Chapter 3136: Chen Xianzhang, Foremost Scholar of Lingnan, His Heart in All Things, a Sagely Confucian
