ancestral hall, villager and village

181 Pages·2013·22.51 MB·English

ANCESTRAL HALL, VILLAGER AND VILLAGE:
A CASE STUDY OF ANCESTRAL HALL
IN LIUKENG VILLAGE
LIU Dan
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Philosophy
in
Architecture
® The Chinese University of Hong Kong
December 2000
The Chinese University of Hong Kong holds the copyright of this thesis. Any person(s)
intending to use a part or whole of the materials in the thesis in a proposed publication
must seek copyright release from the Dean of the Graduate School.
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论文摘要
在中国华南地区的乡村中存在着大量的祠堂建筑，这些祠堂建筑多建于明
清时期，在宗族社会的村民生活和地方社会中扮演着重要的角色。本论文将着
重于流坑村的个案研究，在分析流坑村数十座历史上的和现存祠堂的建筑特点
和世系特点的基础上，提出“专祠”这一新的祠堂类型，进一步地，通过对“专
祠”、由住宅改建的祠堂等多种祠堂的建设情况、与临近住宅的关系、建筑使用
的变化等多个层面的详细讨论，细致的看视历史演变中的祠堂、村民、村落和
地方社会的互动关系。
本论文主要涉及三方面的讨论。一是整理介绍流坑村在各个历史时期的祠
堂建设情况，并分析国家政策、地方文化经济和流坑村的自身条件在其祠堂建
设发展中的结合作用。二是着重讨论专祠和由住宅改建的祠堂的形成发展，并
分析专祠和其临近的住宅建筑的使用关系。三是关注始自明代中期并持续至今
的“住居进入祠堂”的现象，回顾历史上此一现象的发展过程，讨论现在村民
在此现象中的认知差别，进而分析建筑形式对村民认同态度的影响。最后，本
论文将简要总结以上的的讨论，并尝试对祠堂作进一步认识。
ABSTRACT
Among the villages in south China, there exists a large number of ancestral halls,
most of which are mainly constructed in the Ming or Qing dynasty. In the past, these
halls played an important role in village life and society. This thesis aims to examine a
dozen ancestral halls that remain in Liukeng village of Jiangxi province in order to
establish the form and meaning of these halls in the village. It is also the intention to
explore the interrelation between the halls, the villagers, the village and the society in
historical evolution by discussing the process of construction, the relationship with
nearby houses and the changes of their functions, etc.
This thesis mainly focuses on three aspects. Firstly, this thesis will give a brief
introduction to the construction of ancestral halls in Liukeng village in different
historic periods, and it will analyze the roles played by government policy, local
cultural and economic situation, and the condition of Liukeng village in such
construction. And then, based on the analyses of architectural and lineage
characteristics in these halls, this thesis will clarify the form and concept of zhuanci
and halls converted from houses, which are characteristic ancestral halls in Liukeng.
Lastly, we will note the phenomenon of the functional shift of ancestral halls, i.e.
ancestral halls used as dwellings, since mid-Ming dynasty. A comprehensive and
analytical survey of the shift and the villagers' perception about it will be provided.
Finally, we will conclude with a delineation of the function and idea of the ancestral
hall.
i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I owe the greatest debt to my supervisor, Dr. Ho Puay Peng, for his support and
teaching. His warm encouragement and thorough advice is the most important factor
for me to finish my work. His meticulous scholarship and encyclopedic knowledge in
the field of Chinese architecture and history have been my best guide through the
research. His careful review of my entire manuscript helped me clarify some
ambiguous and vague points of my thesis and correct the English writing.
I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Zhang Xiaojun, Prof.
Jeffrey W. Cody, Chang Ping-hung and Xu Mingfu, who read my manuscript and
provided valuable advice and comments; Prof. Liang Hongsheng and Shao Hong,
who showed me a lot of valuable documents and very helpful during my field
investigation.
I would also like to thank many scholars with whom I have discussed various
aspects of my research. To Prof. Chen Zhihua, Li Qiuxiang, Gongkai, Zhu Guangya,
David Faure, Zheng Zhenman, Liu Zhiwei, Chen Chunsheng, Zhang Zhanhong and
Cai Zhixiang, I owe special thanks for widening my understanding and insight of the
subjects.
Many villagers had been very helpful to me during my field investigation in
Liukeng village. To Dong Zharong, Dong Chunyan and other interviewers, I am
grateful to them for their kind assistance.
Last but not least, I wish to thank my family for their encouragement and support.
ii
CONTENTS
Abstract i
Acknowledgements ii
List of illustrations iv
Chapter 1 Introduction: Research Issues and Literature Review 1
1.1 Questions Raised and Their Significance 1
1.2 Review of the Study on Ancestral Hall 3
1.3 Thesis Goal and Research Method 14
1.4 Content of the Thesis 21
1.5 Research Discoveries and References Concerned with Liukeng 21
Chapter 2 Liukeng Village and Its Ancestral Halls 26
2.1 A Brief Introduction of Liukeng Village 26
2.2 The Ancestral Halls in Liukeng Village in Different Historic Periods 33
2.3 The Construction of Ancestral Halls in the Context of Social
Development in Various Historical Periods 38
Chapters Architectural Character of Ancestral Hall and Its Cause 59
3.1 Architectural Form of Ancestral Halls 59
3.2 The Reason for the Variety of Architectural Forms 70
Chapter 4 Zhuanci (Personal Sacrificial Hall) 95
4.1 The Tradition of Building Zhuanci 95
4.2 The Function of Zhuanxi and Its Association with Residential Buildings
—Integrated Architectural Complexes 104
4.3 The Changes of the Function of the Complex 112
Chapter 5 Ancestral Hall and Sublineage Living Units 118
Chapter 6 The Functional Shift of Ancestral Hall — Ancestral Halls Used as
Dwellings 126
6.1 Rooms in Ancestral Hall 126
6.2 The Phenomenon "Ancestral Halls Used as Dwellings" from mid-Qing
to the Republican Period 132
6.3 A Survey of the Residential Functions of Ancestral Hall 137
6.4 The Behavioral Setting of Ancestral Hall 145
Chapter 7 Conclusion 151
Appendix 156
Bibliography 162
iii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
2.1 Liukeng village 28
2.2 Position of Le'an County in Jiangxi province 29
2.3 Position of Liukeng village in Le'an County 29
2.4 The genealogical tree of the Dong lineage in Liukeng village 30
2.5 Plan of Liukeng village (1996) 31
2.6 Plan of Liukeng village (1582) 31
2.7 Location plan of ancestral halls and study halls (1582) 36
2.8 Location plan of ancestral halls and study halls (1826) 37
2.9 Statistics of ancestral halls and study halls 35
2.10 Plan of the Focal Ancestral Hall (1524) 41
2.11 Plan of the Focal Ancestral Hall (1562) 41
3.1 Ancestral halls of the Dong lineage existing in Liukeng 60
3.2 Plan table of ancestral halls 63
3.3 Interior courtyard of Tuntian Hall 64
3.4 Interior courtyard of Shuanggui Hall 64
3.5 Structure in Tuntian Hall 65
3.6 Structure in Guanglu Guancha Hall 65
3.7 Strut in "Huiying Nanji" House 65
3.8 Strut in "Huiying Nanji" House 65
3.9 "Tiger-eye" courtyard in Jingqi Hall 67
3.10 "Tiger-eye" courtyard in Zhaoxuan Hall 67
3.11 Courtyard in houses 67
3.12 Gate towers in ancestral halls 69
3.13 Gate towers in ancestral halls 70
3.14 Doorways and door-corridors in ancestral halls 71
3.15 Gate caps in ancestral halls 72
3.16 Gate tower, door-corridor, doorway and gate cap in houses 73
3.17 Interior courtyard of "Dexin Tang' 74
3.18 Baoyuan of “Dexin Tang" 74
3.19 Altar within baoyuan of "Dexin Tang" 74
3.20 Altar in "Rulinshidi" House, 11, Shangkou lane 74
3.21 Altars in houses 75
iv
3.22 Plan of Gaoping Hall 78
3.23 Plan of Gaoping Hall and Fanchang tomb (1886) 78
3.24 Gate of Gaoping hall 78
3.25 Plans of study halls 85
3.26 Plan of Jingshan Study Hall (1809) 88
3.27 Plan of ancestral hall {Ming Li Ji) 92
4.1 Plan of Wende Hall (1809) 95
4.2 The entrance of Wende hall and the space in front of Wende hall 95
4.3 Table of ancestral halls and study halls in 1582 97
4.4 Xu Ximao's travel route in the Jinxiyuan complex 105
4.5 Integrative plan of Jinxiyuan Garden, Wende Hall and Jingshan Hall( 1809) 106
4.6 Plan of Juexian Hall 111
4.7 Plan of Juexian Hall complex 111
4.8 The descendants of Juexian segment from the generation to the
generation 114
4.9 Plan of Wende hall in the Republican period 117
5.1 Statistics of halls (segment Yinming, Yinxuan and Yinlong) 119
5.2 Location plan of ancestral halls of Yinming and Yinxuan segment 120
5.3 Location plan of ancestral halls of Yinlong segment 121
6.1 Le'shan Hall 129
6.2 Zhonggang Hall 130
6.3 Jiancheng hall 131
6.4 Old altar in Jiancheng hall 136
6.5 Old shrine in jiancheng Hall 136
6.6 Xiaoshu Hall 139
6.7 Jingxi Hall 140
6.8 Shrine added in Zhonggang Hall 141
6.9 Gate of Zhongzhai Hall 142
6.10 The section plan of Tuntian Hall 144
6.11 Gate of Tuntian Hall 144
V
Chapter One Introduction: Research Issues and Literature Review
LI Questions Raised and Their Significance
Among the villages in south China, there exists a large number of ancestral halls,
most of which are mainly constructed in the Ming or Qing dynasty. In the past, these
halls played an important role in village life and society. Therefore they are the center
of focus for modem-day architects, historians and anthropologists.
This thesis focuses on case studies of a dozen ancestral halls that remain in
Liukeng (流坑）village of Jiangxi province. Based on the analyses of architectural and
lineage characteristics in these halls, this thesis aims to clarify the concept of ancestral
hall, zhuanci (专年司V and halls converted from houses. Furthermore, the thesis will
explore the interrelation between the halls, the villagers, the village and the society in
historical evolution by discussing the process of construction, the relationship with
nearby houses and the changes of their functions, etc.
Liukeng village is located in the southern part of Le'an (乐安）County near the
Wu River (乌江)• It is a village with a population of 4500 from 800 families under
one family name—Dong (董).The Dong lineage establishes the village as early as
Five Dynasties Period (907-960AD) and it survives for more than 1000 years. In Song
and Ming dynasties, the Dong lineage has experienced the highpoint of literati culture
expressed in the system of imperial examinations. In Ming and Qing dynasties, the
Dong lineage enjoyed prosperity from bamboo and timber trade. The Dong lineage
‘The hall built by a man for sacrifice to himself after his death, or a man's son or grandson built the
hall for sacrifice to the man.
1
has always been one of the most prestigious and influential lineages in Ji'an (吉安）
and Fuzhou (抚州）regions. Throughout the history of the village, there were a
number of peak periods of ancestral hall construction. The first ancestral hall of the
village was completed at the beginning of Ming dynasty. Up to the year of Wanli
(万历) of Ming dynasty (1582), there were altogether 26 ancestral halls in the village.
In the 6th y^^j. of Daoguang (道光）of Qing dynasty (1826), 83 ancestral halls stood in
the village, of which 60 remain today.
Why were so many halls built? Were there successive waves of ancestral hall
building coming one after another? Why were these halls so different in scale and
form? How did hall construction influence the village's physical configuration?
Previous architectural studies of ancestral halls mainly focus on large and
magnificently decorated ones, assuming a relatively fixed notion of ancestral hall. It is
generally believed that all ancestral halls should have a zhongmen (中 1], middle gate),
a xiangtang (享堂,ceremony hall), and a houqin (后寝,rear ancestral chamber).^ Yet
many ancestral halls built similar to or the same as living houses in architectural form
and layout (e.g. the gate opening at the side wall or the altar installed in the middle of
building) exist in Liukeng village. How can this phenomenon be explained?
Many ancestral halls at Liukeng have survived the various historical periods from
Ming dynasty to the present time. During these historic shuttles and social shifts, one
would ask what changes have happened to these ancestral halls, and how they
interfaced with the villagers.
‘ 2 Such definition of ancestral hall has not been seen in these studies, but scholars such as Faure, Chen
Zhihua and Huanghao etc. clearly express this notion in their interviews. Moreover, such notion is also
2