[PLACE] 20141223 Chen Clan Monastery 陈家祠 @ Liwan, Guangzhou

18:56 4-Star Attraction , Ancient , Architecture , Carvings , Chen Clan , China , Cultural , Guangzhou , Guide , Liwan , Monastery , Place , Stone , Travel , Wood 0 Comments

Chen Clan Monastery, or also known as Chen Clan Academy or Chen Ancestral Hall was built by the Chen family way back in Qing Dynasty. The Chen families in Guangdong Province initially built the hall for ancestral worshipping as well as temporary shelter for Chen family member who pass by Guangzhou in the ancient times.

The total of 9 halls, 6 courtyards and 19 buildings were designed and built in between 1888 and 1894. The monastery have a very strong old Chinese architecture presence with stone or wood carvings on the wall, fence and even the roof.

Nowadays, the monastery has been transformed into tourist destination with exhibition of various Chinese cultural displays. The original ancestral hall still remains for worshipping. It is located at the busy city centre of Guangzhou and accessible via Metro and other public transportations.

34, Zhongshan 7th Rd, Liwan, Guangzhou
广东省广州市中山七路恩龙里34号
Nearest Metro Station: Chen Clan Academy, Exit D
Telephone: +65 020-81814371
Opening Hours: 08:30am until 05:30pm

TO GO

Disclaimer: Google services are barred in China. You need to either bypass the "Great Wall" or use a VPN. Alternatively, you may use their domestic sites such as Baidu Map.

The monastery has a dedicated Metro station with the name "Chen Clan Academy" via Line 1 (Yellow) and Exit D. Alternatively, public buses or the electrical tram are also available via No. 85, 88, 104, 107, 109, 114, 128, 193, 204, 233, 250, 260, 268 and 286.

ATTRACTION

It was a gloomy day after my visit to Liwan Park and Renwei Temple. The huge stone arch is right the side of the road, with the monastery situated right behind it. However, the square was divided by dividers and visitors have to use the entrance located at the right side, with a entrance fee of RMB10 (RM5.70).

Even though the name stated Chen Clan Academy 陈氏书院, the monastery actually has no library or collection of books within.

The monastery is very big and wide and you will definitely need a ultra wide angle to fit everything given the narrow space you have. The main entrance is located right at the centre where the main hall is located, there are also two side entrances located at each side of the main entrance.

The monastery is refurbished and well taken care as I do not see signs of ageing especially the clean walls and courtyards. However, the carvings on the other hand are showing signs of erosion.

Exhibits of way of living in the pasts are displayed in the side exhibition halls with brief explanations.

At another hall, there are ivory carvings and bone carvings for sale with price range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand RMB. Although I do not promote ivory products, the carvings are indeed very detail and fascinating. 

Traditional clothes and tools of various ethnic groups in China are also available here in the monastery but I don't seem to be able to find the connection between the clothes and this monastery. Perhaps there are also some Chen family within this ethnic groups.

The backyard is well kept with lush greens but nothing fancy.

Various carvings of plants, animals, and human are available even on the roof of corridors.

The middle courtyard is huge with various potteries and plants. Noticed even the corridor railings are carved with patterns.

The middle hall of the whole monastery. Didn't realise that my ultra wide angle misfocused and generated this soft image.

Even the wooden door frames are carved with very detail carvings. I can imagine ancient people are really free to do all these. Carving like these would cost a fortune nowadys.

This picture above might look very normal, but it is only achievable using a ultra wide angle at 10mm because I'm already standing at the edge of the available space.

SUMMARY

The monastery is a very interesting place to visit especially with all the detail stone and wood carvings all around the compound. But it could also mean a very boring destination as you have pretty much nothing else to do besides seeing the architecture and carvings.

Attraction	☆☆☆☆ very fascinating carvings available all over the monastery
Cleanliness	☆☆☆☆☆ well kept
Entrance Fee	RMB10
Opening Hours	08:30am - 05:30pm (Daily)
Wifi	N/A
Parking	Yes
Website	N/A

GPS: 23.125983, 113.246663