Wu Jia ancestral hall

In my memory, the ancestral temple has always been a mystery. It is dimly lit, offering a solemn ancestral memorial tablet. There are always a few incense sticks in the cauldron, and some hard offerings. There is a layer of ash floating on the offerings, and the portraits of ancestors are hung on the wall, looking at you kindly.

There are several ancestral temples in the surrounding villages, all of which are small, with one or two brick houses. I always dare not go in, secretly looking at the door railing, for fear of disturbing the gods inside. Instead, I saw the mice scurrying about on the beams, stopped for a while before offering them, and chirped a few times. This is the only living thing in the ancestral temple.

It was also a coincidence that I followed the group of donkey friends to Xichun Street in Gaochun Town, Nanjing, and I was lucky enough to meet the ancestral temple in Wu Jia. Its atmospheric, elegant and solemn architectural style deeply attracted me and changed my previous impression of the ancestral temple. It turns out that the ancestral temple can be so high. I am full of curiosity and exploration ideas about it, just like a strange book. I am eager to open it.

Wu Jia ancestral hall faces Guanxi River and backs Xichun Old Street. We entered from this side of the old street. It is its north gate that hits the face, and the line of sight is blocked. I saw an ink painting, just like the masterpiece of a painter on a white wall. A closer look shows that the white wall has been weathered for a long time, and it is black and gray. Several places near the door are dark as ink, and the walls are mottled with moss. The traces of years are picturesque on this wall, and only those who know can see that unique beauty.

Wu Jia Ancestral Temple, built in the forty-six years of Qianlong, is a well-preserved building in Qing Dynasty. It is divided into three steps: entering the theater, enjoying the hall in the middle, entering the temple at the back, and each entering a patio. The whole building has Huizhou style, with horse head wall, small tile roof, hollow roof, columns, doors and windows engraved with patterns and patterns, showing a heavy texture in simplicity.

When I stepped into the temple, I was stunned by its imposing manner. The hall is tall, with four thick nanmu pillars at the four corners, with cypress as the beam, criss-crossing, solid and beautiful. Sunlight is projected through the hollowed-out doors and windows. A big screen near the door is painted with a map of Chen Yi's crusade. It turns out that this used to be a place to worship ancestors. 1938, Chen Yi led a team of the New Fourth Army to set out from southern Anhui to resist Japan. In order to open up the Maoshan base area, it became the first stop in garrison headquarters and Jiangsu. It is also a patriotic education base in Nanjing.

When you are away from home, a hundred-year-old wood sticks out of the patio and must look up. There are corridors on both sides of the patio. Through the patio, you can reach the enjoyment hall.

Its building structure is the same as the memorial hall, and it is also an open hall, with porch corridors in front and back, and beams on the roof, up and down to 12 meters. There are exquisite tables and chairs on both sides of the hall, and there are two in the middle, followed by the portrait of Tai Bogong, the ancestor of Wu. This is the secret room. In the past, important things at home were discussed here. The walls on both sides are also covered with calligraphy and painting, and one of the couplets reads: The article strives for eternal integrity and loyalty and filial piety. The "Twenty-four filial piety pictures" carved in front of a row of gauze doors are lifelike, and the wood carvings have already revealed the luster of the years. When I touched it gently, a cool and clean breath suddenly came to my mind. I think, integrity, loyalty and filial piety are the soul of this ancestral hall, the thought it adheres to, the morality followed by its descendants, and the foundation that can make this ancestral hall stand upright. When I turned to the back door of the hall, I saw two "dutiful sons" plaques hanging high on two walls.

I'm curious, why are there two identical plaques hanging? There must be a story. Ask the insider, it turns out that this plaque is really extraordinary. According to legend, it was given to a father and son by Gan Long himself.

This father, Wu, has lived in an old street since he was a child. He is very handsome and listens to his parents' instruction. At the age of six, he became very sexy He is witty, diligent, strict with himself, proficient in classics and history, and brilliant in literary talent. Treat people with courtesy, be gentle and humble. All the villagers in the village follow his example to educate their children.

His mother died at the age of 84, and he was in great pain. On the day of the funeral, he built a hut beside the tomb, and kept it day and night, crying and not coming home for three years. At the end of three years, there was unrest in the county and people fled. He was advised to withdraw, but he refused and didn't come back until three years later.

Many people praised him for his virtue of "loyalty and filial piety" and recommended him as the "master" of the Wu family. He worked hard to make the Wu family business in Laojie flourish, and then he was ordered to choose a site for the construction of the "Wu Ancestral Hall", which was finally completed.

His son, Wu Yundao, is handsome and knowledgeable, and often convinces people by reasoning. When he grew up, he inherited his father's position as "master" and devoted himself to all clan affairs, winning the hearts of the people.

When Yundao was in middle age, his mother was ill in bed for three years, serving and tasting soup every day. Give up sleeping and eating, and have no regrets. After his mother died, he stayed at the grave for three years like his father.

The filial piety of father and son is known both inside and outside the county. The imperial court learned this touching story, and the emperor sent a plaque to hang in the ancestral hall, and compiled the story into the "Qing Unification Record", which set an example for the world.

With such a father and son, the family style of Wumen will be passed down from generation to generation. I looked up at these two plaques and had a feeling in my heart.

When I walked out of the hall, I saw a rectangular stone standing on the porch in front of the door. The upper end of the stone was polished and there was a hole through it. Look carefully, the front of the stone is engraved with the words "reckless, unfilial, unfilial". What is this stone for?

While wondering, a tour guide came to this stone with several people. It turns out that if someone in the family breaks the law and rules, they will be taken to this stone, the rope will pass through the cave, and their hands and feet will be tied to the stone, and they will stay for a day or two until they repent. It can be seen that the Wu family rules are no joke. Who dares to act rashly under such punishment?

The process of enjoying the hall is the theater. Upstairs is the viewing platform, downstairs is the passage, and the open-air theater can accommodate more than a thousand spectators. The shape of the building is lifelike, like a swallow spreading its wings. It is rare that there is a theater in the ancestral temple, which shows that Wu attaches importance to the construction of the ancestral temple and the prosperity of the family.

The whole building is simple and generous, subtle and calm, with exquisite craftsmanship. The more you taste it, the more you can feel its unusual beauty. It is like a wise old man who has gone through vicissitudes of life, silently watching people come and go. No matter how the world changes, no matter how many past events have happened here, he has quietly and quietly influenced generations of future generations. I sat on the porch thinking about it and didn't want to leave.

There is a brief introduction of Wu Zu on the sign in front of the door. I want to know more. After going back, I checked some information and made some new discoveries.

It turns out that the Wu family can be traced back to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and their ancestors lived in Shaanxi and Shanxi today, with their real names "Ji". 1 1 century BC, Taibo's father was Gu, the leader of the Zhou tribe. He thinks his third son, Ji Li, and his son, Ji Chang, are very clever, so he wants Ji Li to be the heir and pass it on to Ji Chang. Taber is the eldest son. After Taber understood his father's thoughts, in order to fulfill his father, he led his second brother, Zhong Yong, to flee to Man Jing, a vast area in the south of the Yangtze River, and settled in Meicun, Wuxi, to reclaim land and establish the State of Wu. At that time, Jiangnan was still barren hills, rivers and wild animals. Taber founded Jiangnan and built Meili. This is the story of the famous Taber Ben Wu.

Tai Bo abandoned Ji's surname in the State of Wu and changed to Wu. Later, he was named the ancestor of Wu.

Taber's descendants are all over the country and are the ancestors of Wu in Gaochun County. According to the genealogy of Xichun Wu Dynasty in Qing Dynasty, Wu Min was appointed as a member of the Privy Council in the late Northern Song Dynasty. During the Jingkang Rebellion, Zhao Gou moved south, with Lin 'an (now Hangzhou) as its capital and Wu Min as its partner. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan soldiers invaded, and the descendants of Wu Min moved from Lin 'an to Wu Jia, Laotian and Jiuhuashan in Anhui Province, and then moved to Xichun Old Street in the middle of Ming Dynasty to settle down.

Wu Taibo's abdication for the third time reminds me of my hometown, the story of Zhangzi's abdication for the second time and Zhangzi's hanging sword in Yanling, Danyang. Their experiences are so similar to those of others, and they are about the same age. Is there any connection between them? With questions, I went to look for information again, and unexpectedly found that they were a family, all surnamed Wu, and both were Wu's ancestors.

According to the genealogy of the Wu family in China, Taibo is the ancestor, the ancestor of generations and the ancestor.

Ji Zi, whose name is miscellaneous, was the fourth son of Wang Shoumeng in the Spring and Autumn Period and lived in Yanling, Danyang. Ji Zha abdicated for the second time, and his life was accompanied by the rise and fall of Wu, and he was praised as "the third virtue" by Confucius.

Kiko gave birth to five children, and the eldest son died in the war. In 473 BC, Wu perished, and Fu Cha lost his country. The second son fled to Qi, and the third son Mu's whereabouts were unknown. Only Siziyu fled to nearby (now Maoshan, Jiangsu), stuck to his hometown in Yanling, Danyang, and worshipped the temple, becoming the backbone of Yanling Wu. Future generations are prosperous and the clan is prosperous.

When I sorted out these relationships, I felt a sense of closeness to Wu's ancestral hall and was full of reverence for Wu's ancestors and descendants. China is vast in territory and abundant in resources, with profound cultural heritage, and people of all ethnic groups are inextricably linked.

We are descendants of the dragon, and our culture has never been broken. Wu's surname is like this, and so are our hundreds of surnames.