||
Chan's Ancestral Hall (桂馥堂陳氏宗祠), adjacent to Tin Hau Temple (http://isletforum.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=58&do=blog&id=1296), should be a large ancestral hall. Chan's clan has been living in So Kwun Wat Tsuen for more than 300 years. It has a fung shui pond in front of the ancestral hall.
There should be regular maintenance and repairs. If not, the ancestral hall will not be kept in such good condition. It looks new and seems to have been renovated recently.
On the rectangular rock where '桂馥堂' was carved, there were Chinese characters '陳日新題'. Chan Yat Sun (陳日新) had been former Chairman of Heung Yee Kuk N.T. (新界鄉議局) for 6 times.
The weather is very good, enabling us to take photos with bright colour and sharp image. The couplet writes '穎川獻瑞 鳳卜傳芳'.
After the main entrance, there is a chamber for rest.
And then, it leads to the chamber with main altar.
The main altar is large in size and sophisticated in design. In my observation, for a clan with such ancestral hall, this clan should be large and have a long history.
This ancestral hall is a private property. In 2004, male villagers had to donate money to renovate the ancestral hall. Their names were carved on this memorial rock. More than one million dollars was needed for the renovation.
Chan's Clan in So Kwun Wat Tsuen and Chan's Clan in Yi Pak Tsuen, Lantau Island (大嶼山二白村) are relatives.
Mr. Chan should be the household master in Qing Dynasty.
Mr. Chan ranked third in the imperial examination in Qing Dynasty.
The Chan's clan has put effort in the design and construction of the ancestral hall. We can notice there are many detailings elsewhere.
A sedan chair
The rest chamber
From this direction, we can see the fung shui pond.
Since the Chan's Ancestral Hall has a history of more than 300 years, and because it is a large village, the villagers do try their best to maintain the ancestral hall. The Hall is next to the minibus terminus (No. 43 to / from Tuen Mun). It is therefore easily accessible by public transport.
Chan's Ancestral Hall
So Kwun Wat Tsuen, Tuen Mun.
陳氏宗祠
屯門掃管笏村
Islet Relics /2015
