Mai's ancestral hall finishes renovation of main structure

Renovation work has recently been completed on the main structure of Mai's ancestral hall in Lianxi village, north of Huangge town in Guangzhou's Nansha district.

The Mai's ancestral hall, built during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), is currently the largest ancient ancestral hall in Nansha. The hall covers a total area of 592.28 square meters.

The Mai's relatives gather at the ancestral hall on the second Sunday after the Chongyang Festival every year to worship their ancestors. The number of people participating in the worship can sometimes reach 2,000 to 3,000.

Lianxi village, one of the four major villages of the town, was first established during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Currently, the village has 10 preserved traditional Cantonese folk houses. The most representative one has walls made out of oyster shells.

The house with oyster shell walls, covering an overall area of 113.68 sq m, was built at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The oyster shell walls are over 80 centimeters in width and are solid and durable as they do not accumulate rain and are not susceptible to be eaten by moth.

The Mai's ancestral hall.[Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]