Chen Clan Temple is a traditional courtyard house built with bricks and wood. On either side of the axis line are the main halls, joined by wings. The halls consist of 15 main rooms in three rows, with a yard attached to every row.

The temple also known as the Chen Clan Academy because the Chen Clan Temple served as both an altar for ancestor-worship and a school to prepare Chen-clan students from 72 counties for the national civil service examination.

The decorations of the Chen Clan temple were made by a variety of materials, including wood, bricks, papers and mortar, pottery, iron and frescoes. Most of the wooden sculptures are hollowed out and double-sided. The stone sculptures appear on pillars and foundations. Brick mosaics and sculptures made from paper and mortar are also of fine craftsmanship. The clay sculptures, the most characteristic decoration of Guangdong, are usually used to decorate ridges of the roof.

[close]