The ancestral hall (or family temple) is the spiritual and religious center of the household in traditional Chinese culture. Chen Dexing Hall (陈德星堂), beside Ningxia Night Market (宁夏夜市), is the century-old ancestral hall of the Chen clan. A Historical Relic of the Third Grade, the front hall has a double-eaved hip and gable roof. The small eave under the roof's edge is common in traditional Chinese architecture, often seen on important structures. It is made from timber, and also features wooden brackets, a unique element used in Chinese architecture since ancient times. The brackets sit atop columns evenly placed throughout the structure, and the roof rests directly on top. This technique enables the support of extended eaves that add grace and beauty (sections of a flat roof that extend outward are also called “eaves”). Both the eaves and roof ridge are gently curving, in the south Fujian (福建) style of the Qing Dynasty. The architectural work is of high artistic value.
Over the years the hall fell into a state of disrepair, and its beauty and elegance faded, but in 2007 the Taipei City Government and the Chen family came together to commission Professor Li Qianlang (李乾朗), a specialist in classical construction methods and heritage-building renovation, to restore it to its former glory. Great care was taken with the methods and materials used, and work was finally completed in December last year. Today the hall again looks as elegant as it did on the day it was finished.
The hall, which had its baptism so long ago, was designed and built by the Taipei master craftsman Chen Yingbin (陈应彬), who also designed the famous Chaotian Temple (朝天宫) in Beigang (北港), southern Taiwan, dedicated to the goddess Mazu (妈祖). He used carved double-dragon stone columns in the front hall, which is one of the earliest examples of columns with twin dragons in modern Taiwan, and afterwards had a deep impact on temple construction. Rich color contrast is effected by the use of the cut-and-paste method, in which ceramic pieces are cut and glued over sculpted decorations, adding to the hall's resplendent appearance. The large shrine in the main hall and the finely wrought wood-carved balustrades on the side, are among the ancestral hall's most notable elements. The tin vase, candleholders, and mounted elephant sculptures before the shrine, all original decorative items and each a fine work of art, are adornments rarely seen in ancestral halls.
Members of the Chen clan gather at the hall each spring and autumn for ancestor-worship ceremonies – grand and elaborate rituals which follow time-honored rules. In addition to its role as the clan's ancestral hall, the complex also serves as a nursery during the week. According to clan member Chen Zeyong (陈泽永), a nursery was first opened here way back in 1917, and after Taiwan Retrocession in 1945 the facility was used as a center for teaching Chinese and other academic subjects. Today's “Dexing Nursery”(德星幼稚园), which provides a full program and complete range of facilities in a positive learning environment, has been in operation since 1955.
For a close-up look at Qing-era southern Fujian-style architecture, you can do no better than a visit to Chen Dexing Hall. Adding to the pleasure of a visit is nearby Ningxia Night Market, home to classic snack treats from north, central, and southern Taiwan.
Return to Glory – The Century – Old Chen Dexing Hall