The ancestral temple for the whole clan of the Chen in Guangdong Province, also called Chen Clan Academy, was designed by Li Julin and built from 1890-1894, Qing Dynasty when Emperor Guangxu reigned over the country. The whole structure faces the south and covers 15,000 square meters with 6,400 square meters as principal section. Chen’s Ancestral Temple is known for its superb art of decoration for it epitomizes the folk decoration art of Guangdong. It is also famous for “three kinds of carving, three kinds of sculpture and one kind of iron casting”

Stone carving: It’s mainly expressed by a pair of dignified stone lions in either side of the door, a pair of stone drums and stone columns, stone slabs, stone fruits and many other stone carving works. They were finished in the ways of engraving, carving and ornamental engraving.

Wood carving: In the roof beams, girders and eaves of Chen”s Ancestral Temple, you can see many figures, animals, mountains and waters, which epitomize the wood carving crafts in Guangdong. The carvings on four screen doors are made with great care: each screen door has three wood carving paintings on it. Two of them on the top were hollowed out in double leaves, The one below is relief sculpture carving with “going over the snow in search of plums”, “the spring coming in full form”, etc.

Brick carving: The brick carving art in Chen’s Ancestral Temple is excellent. “The meeting hall on the Liangshan Mountain” and “Liu Qing taming the wolf-horse” on either side of the door are the representative works. These works with ornamental carving, relief and hollow out reproduce some history stories.

Pottery Sculpture, plaster sculpture, painted sculpture and iron casting: These three kinds of sculptures are put into use in the whole ridge. The pottery sculpture is above, and the plaster sculpture, below. In the constructive art of Guangzhou, the colorful ridge of Chen’s Ancestral Temple is the best and most beautiful part. 11 slices of pottery ridge and 1800-meter long plaster decoration are the best. And the iron casting paintings inlaid in the stone carving railing represent the developed Foshan iron casting industry in ancient times.

Chen’s Ancestral Temple: Located at the north side of Zhongshan 7th Rd., It is accessible by buses No.74, 85, 86 and trolley buses No.104 and 107.

Add:No.34, En Long Li, Zhong Shan Seven Road, Guangzhou Tel:86-20-81817371,86-20-818114559