Recently, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall was ranked among the top 50 Chinese museums with international influence in 2023, according to a report released by the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center, the cultural relics exchange think tank, and other institutions.
Located at No. 34, Enlongli, Zhongshan 7th Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou (廣州市荔灣區中山七路恩龍里34號), the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, with its plaque inscribed "Chen Clan Academy," was constructed between 1888 and 1893. It served as a "collective ancestral hall" built by the Chen clan from 72 counties of Guangdong for temporary residence for clan members preparing for imperial exams, handling official duties, paying taxes, and litigation.
The hall covers an area of 15,000 square meters, with a main building area of 6,400 square meters. It features a central hall named "Hall of Eminent Scholars" surrounded by nine halls and six courtyards.
Huang Haiyan, the curator of the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, explained that the museum has undertaken the responsibility of preserving the hall since its establishment, undergoing three stages of protection: rescue protection, restoration protection, and technological protection. Rescue protection was carried out twice, first in 1958 and then in 1980, restoring the main structure to its original state.
Since reopening, efforts to research and preserve the hall have continued, including lowering the front plaza to its historical level, restoring the stone lion bases at the main entrance, re-erecting flagpoles, and reconstructing ancestral hall components. In January of this year, the hall initiated its eighth maintenance project, covering an area of 1,285 square meters.
The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is an art museum showcasing folk art masterpieces primarily from Guangdong and across China. The hall's collection exceeds 20,000 pieces, with nearly 3,000 classified as national treasures.
The hall features demonstrations by intangible cultural heritage inheritors, attracting visitors who witness the creation of exquisite crafts like olive pit carving, Lingnan pressed flowers, Canton porcelain, handcrafted gold, Foshan Shiwan pottery, and Canton jade carving.
Inspired by the hall's architecture, the "Chen Clan Ancestral Hall Building Blocks," which have been listed among the “Top 100 Cultural and Creative Products of the People’s Republic of China,” have gained popularity, allowing visitors to appreciate the architectural intricacies of the hall through interactive play. In 2023, the hall sold over 320,000 cultural products, generating a revenue of 11.2 million yuan, further promoting Lingnan traditional architectural culture.
Though it no longer serves its original ancestral worship function, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall remains a symbol of clan heritage and cultural continuity. The hall, enduring for over a century, continues to connect members of the Chen clan and serve as a cultural emblem, encapsulated by a couplet within the hall: "No matter the distance or closeness of kin, we are all tied by the same surname, united as one, without division."
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