Heshun Ancestral Halls is located in the hometown of overseas Chinese in Tengchong. The history and culture of the town are quite unique. The ancestral temple culture in the town forms a beautiful humanistic landscape in Heshun. In this small town with an area of only 16.8 square kilometers, there are eight ancestral temples together, which are very rare in Yunnan Province.
The ancestral halls were built by the ancestors of eight families of Heshun, including Cun, Liu, Li, Yin, Jia, Zhang, Chuan, and Yang families. The oldest building is the Ancestral Hall of Cun Family, which was built in 1807 during the Qing Dynasty. The Ancestral Hall of Liu Family was built in 1855. The Ancestral Hall of Zhang Family was built in 1881.
Different ancestral halls
Ancestral Hall of Cun Family is one of the important ones in Heshun. In history, there were the main halls, wing buildings, gardens, guest halls, and gates in the ancestral hall. Outside the gates, there was the two-story stone platform. The platform was 175 centimeters above the village front thoroughfare. There were the stone markers on the left and right sides.
Different from other ancestral halls, the main gate of Heshun Ancestral Halls has a combination of the Chinese and Western styles. It has the three Roman-style arches. Each arch has a nearly triangular top with a relief pattern. The materials of the gate, including cement, steel, and asphalt are all imported from Myanmar. At the same time, the stone pillars on both sides of the main gate are still remained well.
Ancestral Hall of Yin Family was built in 1830 of the Qing Dynasty. It was renovated in 1931. The main entrance of the ancestral hall is relatively new and stylish, but the buildings inside the ancestral hall are relatively old. The plaque of the ancestral hall was written by the family member Yin Zulan in 1822.
Ancestral Hall of Yin Family covers an area of about 4,000 square meters, with its back resting on the hillside, facing to the Laifeng Mountain. It was built along the hillside, majestic and grand. It consists of the main hall, main building and gates. It is famous for its grand layout, high terrain, wide vision field and beautiful scenery. The construction work started in 1920 and took 14 years to complete. The ancestral hall was all made of Tengchong’s premium catalpa wood. The scale of construction and momentum are the most impressive in all Heshun Ancestral Hall. The stone carvings on the two wings and two arches of the gate are also kept well and exquisite.