Pursuit Hall

Pursuit Hall

Zhuimutang, built in 1794 A.D. in the reign of Jiayin of the Qing Dynasty, is the twenty fourth ancestor of the Hu family in the Ming Dynasty, Hu Guansan. His father built the zhuimutang in memory of his grandfather bingpeigong. His father was devoted to Haigong's life, advocating culture and righteousness, and was fond of charity. There are portraits of Li Shimin and statues of Li Shimin worshipped in the hall.

brief introduction

Zhuimutang is the ancestral hall where Xidi Hu family worships their ancestors. The building is generally arranged in the north-south direction, and the entrance is located in the south. The space of zhuimutang has a clear sense of sequence, from the square in front of the ancestral hall to the square patio to the lobby, then from both sides to the strip patio at the back, and finally to the place where ancestors are worshipped. The space here has a clear hierarchy. The square in front of the ancestral hall is a narrow strip plane with a length width ratio of about 3:1. The distance between the wooden grating gate of the ancestral hall and the external wall of the opposite residential building is about 9 meters, while the cornice of the ancestral hall is nearly 5 meters high. Therefore, the section ratio of the entrance square is 1:2 (height width ratio). This perspective is easy to appreciate the facade details, but not convenient to examine the overall outline of the building. There are two eaves at the entrance of the ancestral hall. The height difference of the roof is very small, and the eaves angle is high, which looks like the shape of eyebrows when people are surprised. Standing on the edge of the wall opposite the ancestral hall, I can easily see the slope of the roof extending to the sky in the distance. I realize the beauty of the fifth elevation (roof) of traditional architecture and the line of sight relationship considered by ancient craftsmen when building eaves.

structure

The first facade of the hall is a wooden fence gate, through which I can see the space under the eaves. This layer of palisade door is like a translucent curtain, which closely connects the outer square space with the entrance under the eaves. I suspect that when Hu's ancestors worshipped their ancestors and negotiated household affairs, they might have opened all the wooden fence doors or even temporarily removed the door panels. At this time, the square space and the entrance space are integrated to form a square space with a side length of about 12 meters on the plane.

Enter from the entrance, around the screen, is the core space of the chase Hall - square patio and lobby. From the outer square to the lobby, the floor rises gradually. There are three steps at the entrance with obvious height difference. There is only one step between the patio and the lobby, so the space is relaxed.

The courtyard space of zhuimutang is very wonderful. Usually, the patio of the residents is long, compact and towering. The central patio of zhuimutang is square, and the cornice is about 6-7 meters high. The ground facing the eaves is paved with bluestone slabs. The drainage ditch is surrounded by a square and separates the inside and outside. There is a circular stone water tank in the center of the ground. This layout is known as "four water swept hall", there is also a saying that this is "fat water does not flow to outsiders field". The eaves of the patio are about 5-6 meters long, while the space surrounded by the walls is about 12 meters long. The light diffuses from the sky, forming a transparent cubic space with a side length of nearly 8 meters, which is complete and clear. Maybe the interior of the Roman Pantheon is the amplification of this spatial impression.

Sitting on the top of the chair in the lobby, you can experience the spatial scale of the hall. The first thing to talk about is the profile height. From our seats, when we look towards the patio, we can usually see the cornice, the ridge and the sky. This kind of section height is not only conducive to lighting and ventilation, but also convenient to overlook and reduce the sense of closure of the space. In addition, it is worth mentioning the scale difference of spatial atmosphere. Different forms of activities (ways of communication) have different boundaries in scale, which we can realize in the lobby space of the chase hall.

1. A measure of kindness. This is the area that the human limbs can touch directly. If you are sitting on the seat (parent seat) in the middle of the lobby near the altar, then the size of the square table in the middle of the two seats is the scale of kindness.

2. The scale of communication. It needs appropriate communication distance to discuss housekeeping and other activities. If the distance is too far, it will be difficult to speak. If the distance is too close, it lacks dignity. Therefore, it is more appropriate to control the distance between 2 and 5 meters. The size of communication in the lobby of chase moo hall is reflected in the enclosed area of seats, with a space of about 4 × 6 meters.

3. The scale of society (the limitation of oral communication). This distance is not convenient for voice communication, but we can see the facial expression clearly. This range is about 9-12 meters. The social dimension of the memorial hall is reflected in the distance between the parents' seats and the cornice stone steps, which is about 9 meters.

4. The scale of alienation. If it is within this distance range, the facial expression is not easy to see clearly, but the body movement can be clearly recognized. The distance is about 15-20 meters, or even more. The distance between the parents' seats and the entrance screen is about 14 meters.

The last entrance to the courtyards of zhuimutang is the place where the portraits and tablets of Li Shimin, Hu's ancestor, are worshipped. The courtyard is narrow and shallow in depth, but the height difference between the inner and outer platforms is large, and the patio space is high, which makes people look up. It is in sharp contrast to the calmness of the lobby space.

Generally speaking, the outer square, square patio and lobby of zhuimutang and the narrow patio courtyard in memory of ancestors together constitute the spatial sequence of Hui Style ancestral hall, which is a typical representative.

Address: Xidi scenic area, Xidi Town, Yi County, Huangshan City

Longitude: 117.99550946233

Latitude: 29.903357045323

Ticket information: no ticket required. It is included in the ticket of Xidi scenic spot.

Chinese PinYin : Zhui Mu Tang