Chen Ancestral Shrine is also called Chen Clan Academy. It is located at Zhongshan 7th Road and is an important site which is preserved as a cultural relic. It was built in the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1894) with donations of members from the Chen family who lived in 72 different counties in Guangdong province. It was used to supply accommodation to members of the Chen family who came to Guangzhou for imperial examinations. It is now preserved as a Guangdong Folk Craftwork Museum.
The temple is a compound complex consisting of nine halls, six courtyards and nineteen buildings connected by corridors, all separated by walls from the outside world. A pair of stone drums in front of the entrance door, measuring 2.55 meters (about 8.36 feet) in height and two colored drawing pictures of door-god of four meters (about 13 feet) height are said to be the best in Guangdong.
The compound was constructed in the traditional Chinese symmetrical style and the main hall, the Juxian Hall is in the center of the temple. Juxian Hall was once a place for clansmen to assemble before the establishment of the temple and now it is used as an ancestral hall. In front of the hall is a stone gazebo surrounded by stone balustrades. In the hall there is an exquisitely carved folding screen which is an excellent example of woodcarving.
The most impressive attractions in the temple are various superb carvings extolling nature. They are in the forms of wood, brick, pottery, stone, lime and things like that, of which wood carving especially fully demonstrates the great achievements of the art of carving in Guangdong Province. Stories of historical celebrities and scenes are also vividly represented in the temple.
Admission Fee: CNY 15
Opening Hours: 08:30 to 17:20
Recommended Time for a Visit: 45 minutes
Bus Route: 55,61,74,34
Electric Bus Route: 104