The Chen Clan Academy, also known as the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall or Chen Jia Ci in Chinese, is a significant cultural and historical attraction in Guangzhou, China. It is considered a masterpiece of Lingnan architecture, a style unique to the Pearl River Delta region in southern China. It served as a place for clan members to study for the imperial examinations, which were a crucial pathway to government positions in ancient China. The academy housed various classrooms, study halls, and ancestral shrines where students could honor their ancestors and seek guidance for their studies.Additionally, the Chen Clan Academy is a treasure trove of traditional Chinese art and culture. The complex features a vast collection of Cantonese folk art, including wood carvings, stone sculptures, pottery, and paintings, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the region.

The building was also a shrine to worship the Chen family ancestors, and it looks much like a southern Chinese temple shrine. The buildings in the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall are fully decorated with wood carving, stone carving, brick carving, pottery, stucco relief, iron and copper casting and colored drawing. The content of these decoration are mostly flowers, birds, Cantonese fruits and scenes in traditional dramas. Some of the decorations are even the combination of Chinese and western culture, which shows the social status at that time. Praised as the pearl of Lingnan architectural art, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is the most complete, largest, and the most magnificently decorated ancestral hall in Guangzhou. This palace of art could be a visual feast with seven wonders - wood carving, stone carving, brick carving, pottery figures, stucco relief, iron and copper casting and colored drawing.

It has 19 buildings with nine halls and six courtyards that are connected in a symmetric pattern. On the main axis are the Main Entrance (头门), the Assembly Hall, and the Rear Hall (后堂). The principal ridges of the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall are decorated with 11 strips of pottery cresting, the amount and scale of which reflect the wealth of chen clans at that time. The cresting of the Gathering Hall is 27m long and 2.9m high, with a total of 224 figures on it, which is the largest scale of cresting in Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. These figures include the eight immortals, Li Jing and other characters from the Chinese legend. The outside wall on the right side of the hall is decorated with 6 big brick carvings made by black brick from Dongguan.

Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family is also called Chen Clan Academy or Chen's Lineage Hall whichwas a place in Guangzhou both for offering up sacrifices to ancestors and for study. Now it serves as Guangdong Folk Arts Museum to show the most characteristic Guangdongarchitecture. The museum is open from 8.30am until 5.30pm every day, and an average visit takes 2-3 hours. Best times to visit are off-peak, so not during Chinese public holidays. Why not choose us - China Discovery - a local based China travel agency? We have private tour packages covering sightseeing, dining, accommodation and so on.

Here you'll see many people resting, parents playing with their children, and tourists taking pictures of the interesting things in the garden, like the bushes in the shapes of dragons and the colorful flowers. The main buildings are the Entrance Area, the Gathering Hall and the Rear Hall with the walkway rising as you go further into the Academy, this is to signify moving higher in the career. In addition to appealing to the senses, these elements depict stories of traditional Chinese dramas and portray a macro view of the charming culture of the Chinese as well as showcasing the talent of ancient craftsmen. The purpose of the hall was to provide a central place of lodging and study facilities for the convenience of the numerous family members coming to Guangzhou to prepare for Imperial Examinations. Chen clan members from 72 counties in Guangdong Province responded to the call.

Inside the hall, you can find an exquisitely carved folding screen with excellent woodcarvings, which can impress anyone. Located in the center of the temple, the main hall of this place is called the Juxian Hall. Here is where the Chen family members used to assemble before the establishment of the temple. The idea of building this place was first proposed by two members of the Chen family, Chen Ruinan, and Chen Zhaonan.

Constructed during the late Qing Dynasty between 1890 and 1894, this architectural gem was initially built for ancestor worship and as an academy for the prominent Chen family. Today, it stands as a testament to the region’s rich cultural and historical heritage, showcasing exquisite examples of Lingnan architecture, including intricate wood and stone carvings, pottery sculptures, and vibrant ceramic figurines. Visitors can explore its vast complex, which houses the Guangdong Folk Art Museum, offering an immersive experience into traditional Cantonese art and craftsmanship.

It has a nice contrast of aspects of traditional China and the very modern, and on public transport and in the main areas there is a pretty good level of English. Past the door, there are six huge brick carving works pieced together, each 4 meters long. Whether viewed from far or near, the roof of the ancestral hall is a three-dimensional and delicate comic scroll, silently staging a wonderful story. The highlight of Lingnan's characteristic architecture is the roof, with exquisite layers of gray and potterysculptures, telling stories of traditional Cantonese myths and legends. At the site, visitors can not only visit the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, but also see more than 20,000 antiques and modern artworks, including ceramics, embroidery and bronze ware. "The architectural style of the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is part of our intangible heritage, and we have to share this with the public," Huang says.

You may take subway line1, get off at the station of Chenjiaci ( 陈家祠 – The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall) and exit from Exit D. Out from the subway station, you are able to see the ancestral shrine on your northeast side. So just have a light walk from the station to the ticketing office of the former ancestral hall. If you are going to visit Guangzhoujust in one day, youshouldinclude avisit tothe Chen Clan Ancestral Hall ((陈家祠). The Chen Clan Ancestral Hallwas oncean ancestral shrine,originally built in 1888 and completed in 1894. Furthermore, the rapid development of digital marketing and social media has given the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall significant exposure, with visitors sharing their experiences online, thus enticing a global audience and encouraging cultural exchange.