The Stories
The Lin Family Temple of Shizui (Shagang) is located in Donghouli, Shizui Village, Luokeng Town, Xinhui District, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province. It was formerly Chongbao, with a history of more than 900 years. It was rebuilt in the 11th year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1733) and the Qianlong Emperor. It was completed in the third year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1738); in the 29th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign (1764), it was changed into Guanglu Ancestral Temple to enshrine Pi Gong (father of the nine pastors); it was rebuilt again in the 21st year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign (1895), and completed in the 23rd year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign and renamed Lin’s ancestral temple. The ancestral temple faces south and north. The main temple has three lanes and four entrances, consisting of the front gate, the central hall, the back hall, two wings and two corridors, two lanes of wing rooms and the back building. The building covers an area of 1,471 square meters. The attached temple is on the left. Jinshan Ancestral Hall has two entrances and a building area of 396 square meters. The walls of the main hall and the auxiliary hall are inlaid with 6 Qing Dynasty steles with clear inscriptions and rich information. The building is large in scale. The construction technology is exquisite and ancient. The stele records historical information and has important cultural relic value. In 2012, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province announced it as a cultural relic protection unit in Guangdong Province. The protection scope is: 3,300.73 square meters from the outer edge of the main building to the north. The east and west are the outer edges of the main building of the cultural relics, extending 28 meters, and extending 15 meters south from the outer edge of the main building, with an area of 3300.73 square meters
Origins
Temples, family temples, and ancestral halls are all built by clansmen to worship gods and ancestors, and they are given names. Different names have different meanings. We can use historical data to trace back to the past, use the present to discuss the past, and clarify things. the truth. Taking modern examples as an example, our people set up memorial halls for Sun Yat-sen and Chairman Mao to commemorate the founding fathers and great leaders. At the next level, they set up memorial halls for celebrities who made great contributions to the founding of the country. In the past, in feudal dynasties, sacrificial ceremonies had a hierarchy. The royal family set up palaces to commemorate their ancestors, while meritorious officials and high-ranking officials set up ancestral temples and were granted titles. According to the Lin family genealogy, during the Song Dynasty, the ancestor of the Lin family passed the imperial examination, served as a high-ranking official, made great achievements, and benefited the people. The contemporary emperor bestowed him with a title and made him a court official, and ordered his family to build a family temple to commemorate his ancestor and enhance the family’s reputation. This is the origin of the Lin family temple.
The Lin family temple is composed of five buildings connected by patios, and there are two stone alleys on the left and right leading directly to the back room. With a mountain behind, you enter the main hall from the main gate. There is a screen door at the back of each hall, and four large round columns stand on top of the room. The building has painted buildings and carved beams, and the structure is tight. The steps are made of granite and the floor is paved with red bricks. On both sides of the central hall are small halls and side rooms. There are murals and reliefs in the patio corridor, and two small stone lions are squatting at the side of the stone steps at the main entrance (the above murals and relief stone lions were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution). When you come to visit, you will be full of praise and feel the elegance of being there.