[Introduction] – [Outside the Main Entrance] –[The Sage Meeting Hall] – [The Rear Hall and the Wing Rooms] [Introduction]
The Chen Family Temple was an ancestral temple of the Chen families in Guangdong Province. As a Chinese saying goes, “people of the same surname were in the same family 500 years ago.” This adage is known to all in China and is certainly true as applied to the fact that people of the Chen families in the 72 counties of Guangdong Province jointly built this temple, in 1894 in the present-day Zhongshan Qi Road, as a place of their clannish activities on special occasions as well as a shrine for offering sacrifices to their common ancestors. Otherwise called Chen Clan Academy, it was also a school for children of the Chen families. In 1959, it was converted into the Guangdong Folk Art Museum, for the temple structure itself is a comprehensive expression of the exquisite Guangdong folk arts and crafts.
Covering a ground space of 15,000 square meters, with a floor space of 6,400 square meters, the temple is built in the traditional Chinese architectural style. It is laid out in a symmetrical way, with the longitudinal central line as the axis and the structures on one side corresponding exactly with those on the other. Its wide-open main halls and the lattice-walled wing-rooms are interspaced by courtyards and connected with corridors, and huge suspended or floor screens as well as solid brick walls are used as partitions between halls and courtyards and between rooms; thus creating an artistic effect of being structurally compact but appearing spacious and magnificent, and producing a contrasting effect of the big with the small, the high with the low, the open with the hidden and the true with the false.
Another feature of the temple structure is that all the houses are gable-roofed, with two slopes to drain away the rainwater, which is the traditional style of roof structure corresponding to houses for the common people in old China and to temple buildings of this kind.
In the feudal society of old China, a strict hierarchy was formed. Under this social estate system, everything was rigidly stratified. The size, height and color of a house and even the style of its roof must match the social status of its owner or user. That’s why, in the former imperial palaces, all the back houses for servants and soldiers were low and gable-roofed with grey tiles, but the main buildings in the middle have yellow roofs with slopes on four sides.
While being constructed in the national style of architecture, the temple structure is unique in the way it is decorated, the way that is characteristic of this province. Stone-carvings, brick-carvings, lime sculptures, ceramic figurines, wood-carvings or artistic objects of iron-casting can be found everywhere. They are made into flowers and trees, insects and birds, animals and human figures and even architectural complex. These works of art are used not only for the purpose of decoration but are also symbols or implications of one thing or another, or depictions of various scenes from stories of Chinese history and legends. For example, the peony flower is a symbol of richness and wealth, the twin lotus flowers on one stalk stand for an affectionate couple of husband and wife and the lion sculpture, power and dignity. [Outside the Main Entrance]
1. The Stone Lion and the Unicorn-like Animal
Here (in front of the temple) are two granite statues of the lion that exists in reality. The one playing a ball is male and the other patting a baby lion is female. Such lion statues can also be seen in other parts of the country, squatting majestically at the main entrances of the houses for the upper class of old China, because they are a symbol of power and dignity.
But the unicorn-like animal on the roof, with a single horn on its head, is a fictitious animal that is peculiar to Guangdong Province. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), natural calamities were of frequent occurrence in the area. At that time, man was absolutely powerless before nature. When calamities occurred, people had no choice but to resort to superstition. They looked upon natural disasters as demons and ghosts and created this beast of prey to expel them. So, this unicorn-like animal is a mythical beast that is endowed with supernatural power to exorcise evil spirits.
2. The Sculpture of Gourds – A Token of a Flourishing Family
The sculpture of gourds in pairs on the roof or in other places of the temple is a token of a flourishing family with ever-increasing members. It incarnates the Chen family’s desire that its clansmen would live and multiply continuously like gourds growing luxuriantly to propagate successively. This is because the gourd is a seedy plant and its many seeds will propagate in great members.
3. Masterpiece of Brick-carving
On the wall on either side of the main entrance is a picture carved on bricks, depicting different stories from Chinese historical novels. They are regarded as representative works of the exquisite Guangdong brick-carving.
The Guangdong brick-carving is unique in the technique of its making. It is made in such a way that different parts of a picture are carved separately on small pieces of ready-made fired bricks before they are laid onto a wall to form an integral whole, whereas those of other provinces are made by carving a whole picture on a big piece of adobe (unburned brick) before it is fired into a hard cube and embedded onto the wall. The former entails much more precision and skill and so is more exquisite and is of greater artistic value.
(1) Liu Qing Taming a Fierce Horse
The brick-carving on the east side (on our right hand side when facing the temple) depicting the story of Liu Qing, a valiant general of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), who succeeded in taming a fierce horse that was sent by an aggressive neighboring state. The aggressor state had sent the horse as a challenge, threatening that, if nobody in Song’s domain could get the horse under control, they would sent troops to attack. Liu Qing’s courage and valor greatly crushed the enemy’s arrogance and thus avoided a war.
(2) The Heroes Gathering in Revolt in Liangshan
The brick-carving on the west side (on our left hand side when facing the temple) illustrates the happy occasion for the peasant uprising leaders getting together to celebrate their unity in their revolt against the corrupt regime of the Northern Song Dynasty. The story is written in a famous Chinese classical novel, The Water Margin,
which is very popular among the Chinese.
4. The Stone Drums
The stone drums at the main entrance are a symbol of social status of the Chen family. In the feudal society of the Qing Dynasty, people could place a pair of drums in front of their house only when someone in their family had been conferred an academic degree of (or higher than) “jinshi”, a title given to successful candidates in the imperial examination. In 1893, the year before the temple was completed, a member of the Chen family, Chen Botao by name, was awarded by the Qing court a title of “tanhua”, the number three scholar in the highest imperial examination, and so these drums were mounted here in his honor.
5. The Kylin and Its Treasured Books
The relief sculpture on the wall behind the stone drum on our left (when facing the temple) is called The Kylin and Its Treasured Books. The kylin is a Chinese mythical animal, with an appearance of a deer, a tail of an ox and a body covered all over with scales like a fish.
Tradition says that the kylin is an omen of auspice and was brought into being on the same day as Confucius was born. In the Chinese classics, the kylin is often likened to a great man of noble moral character; therefore the kylin here is, in fact, the incarnation of Confucius, who has been reputed as the greatest philosopher and teacher of morals for over 2000 years in China.
This sculpture was made to encourage people to strive for scholarly honors and official positions by way of studying the works of Confucius.
6. To Be Conferred a Title of Nobility
The relief sculpture behind the stone drum on our right hand side (when facing the temple) is also an implicative picture. The bird, the deer, the bee and the monkey combine to imply that people of the Chen family would be conferred scholarly honors and appointed high official positions with handsome salaries by the imperial court, because the Chinese characters for bird, deer, bee and monkey are homonymous respectively with those for “title of nobility”, “official salary” and “granting titles to the nobles”.
7. The Door Gods
The two portraits on the door-leaves are door-gods. Original door-gods were two legendary gods, Shentu and Yulei, who, it is said, were able to catch ghosts and protect a house from evil spirits. Attired in fancy armors, with a rope in their hands, they looked awe-inspiring. Since the Tang Dynasty (618-907), door-gods have gradually been replaced by people in real life, which is a tradition started by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. It is said that, one day, the emperor was frightened by ghostly wailing from outside his bedroom and he could not fall asleep. Two of his faithful generals, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, offered to guard his bedroom at night, so the emperor slept soundly. His Majesty then ordered that the portraits of the two generals be put up on his bedroom door and this also kept the ghosts away. Since then the two generals have been regarded as door-gods. [The Sage Meeting Hall]
This is the central hall of the temple. It is called Sage Meeting Hall and was the place where the elders of the Chen family got together to discuss their clannish affairs.
On the ridge of the hall and on the balustrade around the platform in front of the hall, there are many works of art: lime-sculptures, pottery-sculptures, stone-carvings and artistic articles of metal-casting. [The Rear Hall and the Wing Rooms]
Here is the rear hall of the temple and was the place where the Chen people worshiped their ancestors. On the shrine there used to be tablets of their ancestors, which were arranged in the order of seniority in the family. The one at the top was “Emperor Shun”, who was believed to be the remote ancestor of the Chen family. (Shun was the head of a tribal alliance dating back to the 21st century BC, when China’s social structure was in the period of transition from clan commune to feudalism.) In the old days in every spring and autumn, grand sacrificial ceremonies were held here by the Chen clansmen to worship their common ancestors. This wooden shrine was made in 1890 during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty and is the largest and the most exquisitely made ancestral shrine still in
existence in Guangdong Province.
The wing-rooms on the east and the west sides were classrooms where the Chen family children studied.
陈家祠
【简介】-【正门外】-【前厅】-【聚贤堂】-【后堂和厢房】 【简介】
位于广州中山七路的陈家祠建成于1894年，是从前陈姓人家供奉祖先用的祠堂。中国有句俗话：“同姓一家亲，五百年前是一家”；所以，广东省72个县姓陈的人家集体捐资兴建了这座祠堂，以供奉他们的共同祖先，并作为他们在喜庆或其他场合进行宗族活动的地方。
陈家祠又名陈氏书院，又是陈氏子弟读书求学的学堂。在建筑装饰艺术上，陈家祠集广东民间工艺之大成，被誉为“岭南艺术建筑明珠”，故1959年辟为广东民间艺术博物馆。
陈家祠是广东省现存的宗祠中最宏伟的建筑群，占地15000平方米，主体建筑面积6400平方米；其建筑风格为中国传统的廊院建筑，采用中轴对称的布局，即在中轴线上建主要殿堂，两侧配以相互对称的厢房；各殿堂之间有庭院相隔，用回廊相连。除实体砖墙外，各厅房采用大型落地屏风或格构板墙与庭院分隔，在艺术上收到大小、高低、明暗、虚实的对比效果。
陈家祠的另一建筑特点是硬山墙结构，屋顶“双檐滴水”。这是过去民房及此类庙堂的传统建筑形式。旧中国封建等级制度森严，房屋建筑的大小、高度、颜色甚至屋顶的式样都必须与主人的社会地位相称；这就是为什么过去皇宫内两侧供卫兵和奴婢使用的房子均为矮小灰暗的平方，而中间的则为红墙黄瓦高大雄伟的庑殿式 （“四檐滴水”）。
陈家祠在建筑装饰艺术上具有浓厚的广东地方色彩。该祠从上至下，从里到外，无论是柱、檐、脊、台阶、门窗等都饰以木雕、砖雕、石雕、陶塑、灰塑或铁铸构件等工艺品。这些工艺品不但起到艺术装饰的作用，而且广罗各种历史、神话故事，一些花、鸟、虫、鱼、飞禽、走兽雕塑及其构成的图案还隐寓各种意义；如牡丹代表富贵，莲花（并蒂莲）代表夫妻恩爱，狮子代表权力与尊严等等。
【正门外】
双狮和独角兽
正门前的两只石雕狮子是按现实中存在的狮子塑造的：弄球者为雄，抚幼狮者为雌。这种石狮在我国其它地方也可以看到，一般安放在旧时有地位人家的住宅或官邸前，是权力和尊严的象征；但屋顶上的独角兽是广东特有的一种虚构动物。明代时广东地区自然灾害频繁，人们在自然灾害面前束手无策，只好诉诸迷信；他们把自然灾害看成是妖魔鬼怪，于是创造出这种猛兽来驱鬼镇魔。
瓜瓞绵绵
屋顶及其它地方都可以看到一对瓜状的雕塑。这是象征家族繁盛、人丁兴旺的标志。瓜是一种多籽植物，可以大量繁殖；所以旧时人们希望自己的家族能像瓜一样生长繁殖，连绵不断地休养生息。
砖雕精品
正门外两边墙上的砖雕描绘了两个不同的历史故事。这些砖雕是广东砖雕艺术的代表作。广东砖雕有其独特的制作工艺，制作方法是将一幅图案的各部分分别刻在已经烧制好的小块青砖上，然后砌到墙上镶拼成完整的图案；其它地方的砖雕一般是将整幅图案先雕在一整块大砖坯上，再烧制成陶砖砌到墙上。广东砖雕比其它地方的砖雕雕刻工艺更细，技术要求更高，因而更具艺术价值。
1. 刘庆伏狼驹
东面（进门方向右边）的砖雕塑造了刘庆伏狼驹的故事。刘庆是北宋大将狄青手下的一员勇将。当时外族经常犯境，有一次他们送来了一匹烈马，扬言要是宋朝无人能将其驯服，他们将派兵进犯。刘庆以其大智大勇制服了烈马，打击了敌人的气焰，并避免了一场战争。
2. 梁山聚义
西面（进门方向左边）的砖雕描绘了中国古代文学名著《水浒》中“梁山聚义”的喜庆场面。
石鼓
正门外两侧的石鼓为门第的象征。在封建旧中国，只有当某家族中有人在科举中取得进士以上的名次时才能在其宅第前安放大鼓。光绪十八年（1893年），即陈家祠落成前一年，陈氏家族中一个叫陈伯陶的人中了探花，故在此安放了这
对石鼓。
麒麟玉书
正门外左边（进门方向）石鼓后墙上的石雕名为“麒麟玉书”。麒麟为中国古代传说中的一种神兽，体态像鹿，头上有角，身有鳞甲，尾像牛尾。据说麒麟与孔子同年同月同日生，是祥瑞的象征。在中国古代文献中，经常用麒麟隐寓圣人；所以，麒麟雕塑实为孔子的化身，其所捧的书则代表圣贤之书。此图旨在鼓励人们攻读圣贤之书，以图功名。
爵禄封侯
右边石鼓后的墙上也有一幅寓意石雕，上面有雀鸟、梅花鹿、蜜蜂和猴子，隐寓爵、禄、封、侯。
门神
大门上的人像为门神。最初的门神为神荼和郁垒，是传说中能制服恶鬼卫护宅第的神。他们身披盔甲，手拿绳索，丑怪凶恶。唐代以后，门神逐渐为现实生活中的人所代替；这是唐太宗李世民所创的先例。相传，唐太宗生病时闻门外有鬼魅呼号，所告群臣，秦叔宝请与尉迟敬德戎装立门外以侍。太宗准奏，夜果无事，乃令画工图二人像，挂宫门左右。后世沿袭为门神以镇邪；有些地方或以小说中描述的武将为门神。（这里所画的画像为秦琼和尉迟恭，但所持兵器与传统画像所画的有所不同，是民间艺人所创改。） 【前厅】
柚木屏风
陈家祠所存的众多工艺品中，木雕工艺品尤为精细。前厅入门处及聚贤堂内的柚木屏风是在广东乃至全国均属罕见的木雕工艺精品。陈家祠木雕工艺品的特点是，大部分木雕均为通雕；故两面所刻的图案内容完全相同，但背面的图案方向相反。
1. 创大业，儿孙永发
请看这幅图案：一只母鸡和数只小鸡正在芭蕉树下悠闲自在地觅食。这些鸡其实比作现世中的两代人；而芭蕉树叶很大，“大叶”与“大业”同音，故芭蕉的大叶子比作先辈们所开创的“大业”。此图的含义是：老一辈人为我们开创了伟大的家业，使我们能安享其成；我们这一代人也应该发奋图强，为后世造福。
2. 壶里乾坤乎，爵禄成 此图由诸多物图构成，各有所寓： （1）
八卦图：图中八个图形代表八种自然现象（天、地、雷、风、水、火、山、泽），内含一套玄妙的理论；此处代表人类的各门知识。
（2）
酒壶：在中国古代著作中，常用酒壶内盛酒之多少来比喻一个人知识之丰薄。
（3） （4） （5） （6）
酒杯：古文中酒杯叫“爵”；此处比作“爵位”。 古钱币：其义自明：钱财。 凤凰：一种代表吉祥的虚构动物。
麒麟：一种虚构动物，比作知识渊博的人。
此图隐寓的意思是：一个有学识的人终将取得功名，加官进爵。
3. 英雄吐气，福寿连绵（五福捧寿）
此图中一只香炉冒出一缕青烟，构成一个“寿”字，寿字周围有五只蝙蝠。中文里常用“扬眉吐气”一词来形容一个在事业上取得成功、生活上得到满足之人。所以，香炉冒出的青烟比作“吐气”，而冒着青烟的香炉则比作一个吐气扬眉的人。又“蝠”与“福”同音，故寿字周围的五只蝙蝠比作“五福”。据《书洪范》述：“五福：一曰寿，二曰富，三曰康宁，四曰攸好德，五曰考终命。”故该图表达了人们对幸福生活的渴求。
4. 青春发达，大器晚成（“祝福”）
这是一根长成“福”字形状的竹子。竹子在生长初期长得很快，但要长成有用之材，却要经过多年的发育生长。此图比喻年青人学习进步很快，但要在学业上有所成就，却并非一朝一夕的事，很可能要到晚年才成大器。故此图说明“锲而不舍，金石可镂”的道理，鼓励人们以努力不懈的精神去学习和进取。
另外，竹子长成的“福”字还表示“祝福”之意，因中文的“竹”字与“祝”字同音。
5. “福到”图（背面的“福”字）
这也是一个“福”字，一个左右倒置的“福”字。中文里“倒”与“到”同音，故倒置的“福”字表示“福到”。 【聚贤堂】
陈家祠的中座叫聚贤堂，是当年陈姓族人聚会议事的地方。聚贤堂的屋脊和堂前平台上的栏杆上有各种雕刻、灰塑和陶塑；它们均有不同的含义，例如：
岭南佳果
平台的栏杆柱顶端分别雕有各种岭南佳果，如蟠桃、杨桃、木瓜、荔枝等。这是陈氏族人向他们的祖先供奉的象征性的供品。
三阳开泰
平台的围栏上有各式铁铸图案，其中一幅是太阳下面有三只羊，称为“三阳开泰”；因“羊”与“阳”同音，故以三只羊代表“三阳”。“阳”即“阴阳”的阳。阴阳是中国古代哲学的一对范畴，是贯通于一切事物的两个对立面。古代思想家看到一切事物都有正反两个方面，就用“阴阳”这个概念来解释自然界的两种相互对立而又相互消长的物质力量。阴阳的最初意义是指日光的向背，向日为阳，背日为阴；历来引申为气候的寒暖。据《易经》载：“十月为坤卦，纯银之象；十一月为复卦，一阳生于下；十二月为临卦，二阳生于下；正月为泰卦，三阳生于下。”故三阳开泰表示冬去春来，阴消阳长，有吉祥之象。俗以“三阳开泰”为岁首称颂之辞。
独占鳌头
屋脊上的两个突出的东西是传说中的鳌鱼的头。唐宋时，皇帝殿前陛阶上镌巨鳌，翰林学士、承旨等官员朝见皇帝时立于陛阶的正中，故称入翰林院为“上鳌头”，后亦称状元及第为“独占鳌头”；故屋脊上（1.7米高）的鳌鱼头表达了陈氏族人渴望得取功名的心情。 【后堂和厢房】
后堂是陈氏族人祭祀祖先的地方。这里的神龛上安放着陈氏祖先的牌位，正中最高者为陈氏远祖舜帝，后世列祖按辈分排列。从前，每年春秋两季陈氏族人都要在此举行隆重的合族祭祖仪式。这座神龛制作于光绪十六年（1890年），是广东现存最大型最精细的木雕神龛。
东西两侧的厢房是当年陈氏子弟读书的课堂。 附：陈家祠内其它图饰说明
1. 风尘三侠（聚贤堂屋脊陶塑）
风尘三侠是唐代传奇小说《虬髯客传》中的三个主要人物：红拂、李靖和虬
髯客。红拂姓张，因常手持一红拂而改以红拂称之，原为隋朝大臣杨素的侍妾，是一个性情豪放而又美丽多情的少女，因不满杨素的骄横无术，毅然舍去豪华的杨府，投奔当时还是平民百姓但才华溢露、胸怀大志的李靖。后二人共同扶助李世民起兵伐隋，成就了一番大事业。虬髯客也是一豪侠，与张、李二人相好，他在当时南方一个小国杀主自立为王之后入扶大唐。
2. 八仙祝寿（聚贤堂屋脊陶塑）
“八仙”乃古代神话传说中的八位神仙，即铁拐李、汉钟离、张果老、何仙姑、蓝采和、吕洞宾、韩湘子和曹国舅。传说他们是由人学道而成仙，各有一件法宝、一套本领。传说王母娘娘每年三月三日都大摆寿宴，邀请群仙赴蟠桃盛会，为她祝寿。八仙各带异宝前往赴宴，行到东海，因时间尚早，便各显神通，将自己的法宝投入海中个人乘坐，自在逍遥，故有“八仙过海，各显神通”之说。
3. 麒麟送子（聚贤堂屋脊陶塑）
麒麟是孔子的化身。传说在他母亲怀孕还没生他时，有只麒麟口吐玉书来到他的家中；孔母用绣系在麒麟身上，不久孔子就降生了。古时将麒麟视为吉祥稀有之物，比喻罕见而珍贵的东西；后人在亲友得子时往往画得子图或麒麟送子图相赠以祝贺。
4. 五老图（聚贤堂屋脊灰塑）
聚贤堂屋脊上中间的灰塑为《五老图》。五老指宋朝的五位士大夫，五人年皆八十余，康宁爽健。他们告老还乡后经常欢聚，吟诗作乐，研讨学问，悠游自在地欢度晚年。五老图亦象征“福寿”，暗寓“五福临门”。
5. 和合二仙（聚贤堂屋脊灰塑）
和合二仙是古代传说中的神仙。他们是得道成仙的高僧，即寒山和拾得，两人互为好友，均善诗词，各有诗集传世。相传两人后来居住在苏州寒山寺，至今寒山寺佛殿壁石尚存二人之刻像。陈家祠聚贤堂东侧大厅屋脊上的陶塑也是这一题材。
6. “太子太师”图（聚贤堂屋脊灰塑）
屋脊上左右两幅对称的灰塑叫“太子太师”图。图中小狮子代表“太子”，老狮子代表“太师”；太师正辅导太子学习。这是因为中文中的“狮”与“师”同音的缘故。
7. 竹林七贤（西回廊顶盖灰塑）
前厅与聚贤堂之间的西回廊顶盖上有一灰塑，叫“竹林七贤”，描绘了魏晋年间七个文人好友在竹林中相会游乐的故事。七贤指嵇康、阮籍、山涛、向秀、阮威、王戎和刘伶。他们均有所长，或为文学家，或为思想家，或为哲学家，或为音乐家等。竹林在河南辉县西南，后建七贤祠祀之，今为竹林寺。
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