Chen Clan Ancestral Hall

Lonely Planet review

The enormous complex of the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, part of the Guangdong Museum of Folk Art (Guǎngdōng Mínjiān Gōngyì Bówùguǎn), is both ancestral shrine and Confucian school. It was built in 1894 by the residents of 72 villages in Guǎngdōng, where the Chen lineage is the predominant family. The complex encompasses 19 buildings of the traditional Lingnan style (combining traditional Chinese, Japanese and Western traditions).

All buildings contain exquisite carvings, statuary and paintings, decorated with ornate scrollwork on the roof tiles, walls, stairs, and on the woodwork of the window frames and doors. The scenes depict stories from Chinese literature and folklore and include real and mythical animals. Take metro line 1, Chénjiācí station, or bus 85 or 104.