Maoban Xu Ancestral Hall, also known as Shi Ancestral Hall, is located in Maoban Village, Jiangshan Town, Zhejiang Province. It covers an area of 3,570 square meters and has a building area of 2,437 square meters.
The ancestral hall was built in the 12th year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty (1639). In the early Qing Dynasty, bandits frequently invaded Maoban, the junction of Jiangshan, Guangfeng and Yushan counties. In the fourth year of Shunzhi (1647), after bandits looted Maoban, its tragic situation was "smoke was still burning, bones were everywhere, and the cry of wind cranes was heartbreaking." In the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652), Maoban village was once again swept by thieves from Jiuxian Mountain, and the Xu ancestral hall built in the late Ming Dynasty was burned down. Although the Xu family was hit hard repeatedly, only 60 years later, in the fifty-second year of Qianlong (17 13), the local Xu descendants rebuilt on the original site.
After liberation, Maoban Xu ancestral hall was requisitioned as a grain depot by the state because of its large area and many houses. In 2000, the grain department was restructured, and the grain stations were privately contracted, and some of them were regarded as pig farms. The ancestral hall was in disrepair for a long time, with some roofs broken and beams corroded and collapsed.
In 2009, the Committee on Aging of Mao Office and the Compilation Committee for Continuing Spectrum of Mao Office organized fund-raising to repair the Xu Shi Ancestral Hall, and actively reflected that they would strive for funds and apply for cultural relics protection. Later, due to the complexity of the project and the huge cost, some ancient buildings were almost lost and could not be repaired in a short time. Only nave and Houtang have carried out protective repairs.
Ancestral hall architecture
Although the ancestral hall was built in the Qing Dynasty, it still imitates the architectural style of the Ming Dynasty and draws lessons from the traditional architectural format of Huizhou School. Combining the architectural essence of Zhejiang School and Huizhou School, it is the most distinctive ancestral temple in Jiangshan City.
Maoban Xu ancestral hall is 36 meters wide and 67 meters deep. There are three halls and two wells in the main hall and four halls in the backyard. There are 72 stone pillars in the ancestral hall, four of which are 60 cm in diameter and have huge stone foundations at the bottom. The beams, wooden arches and brackets in the ancestral hall are all carved by Nestle, and the exquisite wooden pegs are beautifully connected. In particular, the wood of the main girder is thick, which is difficult to hold and spectacular. The beam is resplendent and magnificent, and it is still as bright as ever after a hundred years. There are green slates around the patio, which are connected with the cloister in the hall. There are many steps around the patio to facilitate pedestrians to get up and down. Overlooking the ancestral hall, the horse-headed walls on the left and right sides of the ancestral hall are strewn at random, with rows of roofs and cornices, which are extraordinary in momentum. There is a square of 1000 square meters in front of the ancestral hall. In front of the square is a pool, which is also the geomantic eye of the Xu family and is also used for fire prevention. The tiger wall (screen wall) at the main entrance is nine meters high.