Foshan Ancestral Temple/Visiting the Ancestral Temple = Sculpture Appreciation

The Ancestral Temple was first built in the Song Dynasty as a Taoist temple, mainly used to worship the Northern Zhenwu Emperor Xuantian. Later, it evolved into a link between the ancestral halls of various surnames in Foshan and was revered by people as the "Ancestral Temple". When you come to the Ancestral Temple, you can visit the Ip Man Hall, the Huang Feihong Memorial Hall, and the wonderful lion dance performance. But for me, I was shocked by the Lingnan architecture and roof art in the temple. It is worthy of being called "Lingnan's Oriental Art Palace". The buildings in the ancestral temple are arranged symmetrically along the longitudinal axis from north to south. They are mostly made of wood and stone. The brackets and beams are all made of solid wood joints without any rivets. The roof of the hall is decorated with sculptures of various shapes, which is also the biggest feature of the temple - three carvings and two sculptures. The so-called three carvings and two sculptures are: wood carving, stone carving, brick carving, pottery sculpture, and plaster sculpture. ✅Several highlights: ▪️ The main hall is the oldest and most central building in the Foshan Ancestral Temple ancient building complex. The front bracket is built in the French style of the Song Dynasty, with layers of support, ingenious design and exquisite craftsmanship. It is the only remaining example of the Song-style eight-layer three-down bracket in my country. ▪️The ceramic tile ridge on the third gate of the Ancestral Temple is 31.7 meters long and 1.78 meters high. It is the longest ceramic tile ridge in existence in my country and is known as the "King of Flower Ridges". ▪️Lingying Pai, this memorial archway is a three-story building, which looks majestic. A large number of brackets are used inside the eaves columns, and the flying eaves are green and overlapping, which is very exquisite. ▪️Wanfutai is the pinnacle of Lingnan woodcarving art. The lacquered and gilded woodcarvings sparkle and dazzle under the sunlight. ‼ ️Tips: 🎫About tickets: 20 for adults, half price for children 🧳About storage: Free 🆓 storage is provided at the ticket hall and the service center in the ancestral temple. 🦁About the performance: ① Lion dance performance: 10:00-10:40 in the morning, 14:15-14:55, 15:30-16:10 in the afternoon every day. (Suspended in rainy days) ② Cantonese opera: Saturdays, Sundays, the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, and holidays from 13:30 to 15:30 🎧About the explanation: Foshan Ancestral Temple historical and cultural display, two free 🆓 explanations per day, time: 11:00, 14:00. Let you understand the history of the ancestral temple and the craftsmanship of three carvings and two sculptures.