The Chen Clan Academy
[1] Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family is also called Chen Clan Academy which is a place
both for offering up sacrifices to ancestors and for study. Now the Chen Clan Ancestral
Temple in Guangzhou City, the Ancestors' Temple in Foshan City, the former Residence of
Sun Yat-sen in Zhongshan City and the Opium War Memorial Hall in Dongguan City are
regarded as the four major cultural tourist sites in Guangdong Province.
[2] In the late of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a man named Chen got the third place in
the highest imperial examination and had conferred upon him a distinguished office title
which made the Family Chen well-known. Later someone suggested that all the Chen's
families raise money to build a temple to sacrifice to the ancestors and encourage their
offspring likewise to study hard. Therefore, the temple was finished in 1894 with the money
donated by Chen's families in 72 counties of Guangdong Province as well as some overseas
members of Family Chen.
[3] The temple is a compound complex consisting of nine halls, six courtyards and nineteen
buildings connected by corridors, all separated by walls from the outside world. A pair of
stone drums in front of the entrance door, measuring 2.55 meters (about 8.36 feet) in height
and two colored drawing pictures of door-god of four meters (about 13 feet) height are said
to be the best in Guangdong.
[4] The compound was constructed in the traditional Chinese symmetrical style and the
main hall, the Juxian Hall is in the center of the temple. Juxian Hall was once a place for
clansmen to assemble before the establishment of the temple and now it is used as an
ancestral hall. In front of the hall is a stone gazebo surrounded by stone balustrades. In the
hall there is an exquisitely carved folding screen which is an excellent example of
woodcarving.
[5] The most impressive attractions in the temple are various superb carvings extolling
nature. They are in the forms of wood, brick, pottery, stone, lime and things like that, of
which wood carving especially fully demonstrates the great achievements of the art of
carving in Guangdong Province. Stories of historical celebrities and scenes are also vividly
represented in the temple.
Source: http://cantonese.blogbus.com/logs/11491620.html, adapted in 2007
Comprehension Questions:
1)
2)
Guessing meaning from context:
“confer” (parag.2)
a.获得
b.收到
c.授予
“complex” (parag.3)
a.组合
b.建筑群
c.综合建筑
“assemble” (parag.4)
a.组合
b.集合
c.组装
“represent” (parag.5)
a.代表
b.象征
c.描绘
What was the temple built for?
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3)
What will visitors to the temple probably found most attractive?
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