As a house where people worship their ancestors in feudal patriarchal clan system, ancestral temple is a sacred place for men, where men decide clan affairs, punish those who violate clan rules and sacrifice ancestral tablets. In that era when men were superior to women, women were not allowed to go to ancestral temples unless they were punished for violating clan rules here. Just as names cannot be listed in genealogy, female ancestors have no memorial tablets in ancestral halls, and even in sacrificial activities, even the gates of ancestral halls cannot be entered.
Only this Qingyitang has become a miracle. The ancestral temple itself is built for women, and there is a memorial tablet for female ancestors. Women can enter the temple to worship the important events of women's business.
Qingyitang Women's Temple was built in the 10th year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (AD 1805) and was founded by Bao, the 24th ancestor of the village salt merchant, to commemorate the Bao women who also made sacrifices and contributions to the glory of Huizhou merchants. The giant plaque of "Qingyitang" is hung in the center of the wall of Xiangtang, inscribed by calligrapher Bao Zheng, and the other horizontal plaque "Chastity" is inscribed by Zeng Guofan, a famous person in Qing Dynasty. The name of the hall "Qingyitang" means "innocence, chastity and virtue".
The women's shrine covers an area of 8 18 square meters, with a width of 16.9 meters and a depth of 48.4 meters. It has five bays and three entrances, followed by the hall, the main hall, the bedroom hall and the enjoyment hall. The main feature of the whole building is the appearance of the horse head wall, but the backward part is the rest mountain attic. The double patio design can not only ensure the lighting and ventilation inside the ancestral temple, but also show the profound meaning of "women hold up half the sky". Ancestral temples usually face south, but this female ancestral temple faces south. This completely different idea comes from the Book of Changes, which says that "men fuck women and Kun, and yin and yang go against each other". This is a sacred place for women. Of course, it must be the opposite of a sacred place for men. At the same time, the North Hall where ancient mothers lived faces south, aiming to praise their kindness and virtue, which shows the good intentions of the design of the women's shrine.
Now there are many touching stories engraved in the wax gallery of the ancestral hall, such as "nursing my brother", "sending my husband to do business" and "taking care of orphans" ... Every story is full of women's kindness, which makes people cry and think. Also listed as a permanent exhibition is "China Women's Clothing Exhibition", which enriches the ancestral temple and inspires the poetry of "beautiful ancestral temple, beautiful woman and beautiful culture".
As a highlight of Huizhou culture, Qingyitang has attracted the attention of many experts, scholars and tourists at home and abroad.