The ancestral hall is a place where tribesmen worship their ancestors or sages.
Ancestral halls serve many purposes. In addition to the purpose of "revering ancestors and worshiping ancestors", the grandsons of each house will use these spacious ancestral halls for activities when they have to handle weddings, funerals, birthdays, celebrations, etc. In addition, clan relatives sometimes use the ancestral hall as a gathering place to discuss important matters within the clan.
In ancient Chinese feudal society, the concept of family was very deep. Often one family or several families with the same surname lived in a village, and many families built their own family temples to worship their ancestors. This kind of family temple is generally called "ancestral hall", which can be divided into ancestral temple, branch temple and family temple.
The name "ancestral hall" first appeared in the Han Dynasty. At that time, ancestral halls were built in tombs, which were called tomb temples. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi's "Family Rites" established the system of ancestral halls, and from then on, family temples were called ancestral halls. At that time, there were hierarchical restrictions on building ancestral halls, and private citizens were not allowed to build ancestral halls. By the time of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty, "many people had established temples in conjunction with their clans." Later, only those whose surnames had been emperors or feudal lords could be called "family temples," and the rest were called ancestral halls.
In addition to being used to worship and worship ancestors, ancestral halls also have many uses. The ancestral hall is also the place where the clan leader exercises clan power. Anyone who violates the clan rules will be educated and dealt with here until they are expelled from the ancestral hall. Therefore, it can also be said to be the court of feudal morality; the ancestral hall can also be used as a social place for the family; There is a school attached to the ancestral hall, and the children of the tribe go to school here.
Because of this, ancestral hall buildings are generally larger and of better quality than private houses. The more powerful and wealthy the family, the more exquisite their ancestral halls are, with tall halls, exquisite carvings, and high-quality materials. , has become a symbol of the family’s glorious ancestors.
Most ancestral halls have a hall name. The hall name is written by a clan member or a calligraphy expert with a foreign surname. It is made into a gold plaque and hung high in the main hall. Next to it are plaques with the origin of the surname, the glory of the clan, and the chastity of women. There are also couplets. If it is granted by the emperor, a "Zhi Tu plaque" can be made.
The size and number of plaques in the ancestral hall are the capital of the clan members. Some ancestral halls have flagpole stones in front of them, indicating that the clan members have achieved meritorious status. Generally speaking, ancestral halls have one surname per ancestral hall. In the old days, clan rules were very strict. Even women or minor children within the clan, let alone those with foreign surnames, were not allowed to enter without permission, otherwise they would be severely punished.
After liberation, especially during the movement in the 1960s, ancestral halls were basically torn down, smashed, or transformed into offices. The ancestral rankings, including some of the family trees hidden in them, were burned and destroyed. Many people in later generations do not know what the ancestral hall is and what it is used for. Although I am saddened, I am very relieved that due to certain reasons in a few areas, some ancestral halls have been preserved.