Sense of Place and Sacred Places: A Phenomenological Study of Ancestral Hall Spatial Narratives—The Shike Ancestral Hall, En Village, Guangdong

Abstract

Based on the narrative perspective, this paper studies the spatial characteristics and cultural significance of the Shike Ancestral Hall in En Village, Guangdong, as a sacred building. By drawing on Lefebvre’s theory of spatial production, the physical space, cultural value, and community sentiment of the Shike Ancestral Hall are linked to explore its role in the sense of place, clan memory, and cultural identity. The study found that the combination of perceived, conceived, and lived space gives the Shike Ancestral Hall profound social, cultural, and religious significance. The ancestral hall is not only a material existence but also a vital link to maintain the emotional and cultural identity among clan members. Through the multi-sensory experience of the building, including light, sound, touch, and smell, the unique atmosphere of the sacred space is revealed, further deepening the need for sustainable development and protection of cultural heritage.

1. Introduction

Thousands of years of agricultural civilization have created China’s unique rural culture, settlement ethics, and governance model. In traditional Chinese villages, ancestral hall architecture is the spiritual core of the village. It is about ancestor worship and the concept of filial piety. It also includes praying in the ancestral hall for the eternal peace of the ancestral souls and blessing the prosperity of future generations. Traditional villages not only carry the historical development context from ancient agricultural society to the modernization process but also form local cultural characteristics through local architectural art, language culture, and clan rituals. Under the impact of urbanization, this heritage faces severe challenges. As the carriers of traditional village culture and the symbols of architecture, the development of ancestral halls faces serious problems such as cultural dilution, architectural destruction, imbalance between development and protection, and unclear protection strategies.

En Village, as an outstanding representative of the fifth batch of traditional Chinese villages, is facing the conflict between cultural heaviness and modern development in today’s rapidly developing modern society. The Guangdong region where En Village is located has a long history and culture. Guangdong culture has historically been known as Lingnan culture. Lingnan culture, like the primitive culture of the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, is the birthplace of the primitive culture of the Chinese nation [1]. En Village has a wharf and an ancient road, making it a meeting point for economic and cultural exchanges between the north and the south. This also brings diverse elements to the architecture and culture of En Village.

For the members of the En Village clan, the Shike Ancestral Hall, as a sacred building of En Village, has been not only the political and cultural center of the ancient En Village since its establishment in the 14th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1586), but has now become the spiritual sustenance of the clan members and a symbol of their close connection with their ancestors, clan history, and local community. It reveals the intricate relationship between the En Village area’s people, places, and spaces. The narrative perspective provides a structure for the special connection between people and places, which will form a unique “sense of place” in the region and is also the internal driving force for the formation and development of sacred places.

This paper first describes the historical background of En Village in Guangdong and then defines the ancestral hall as a sacred place and the sense of place of the sacred place. The following part of the article introduces the research methods and case studies. In three spaces, the tangible culture and intangible culture of the ancestral hall are explored. The three elements that constitute the sense of place are discussed in terms of Lefebvre’s spatial triad. The material of the perceived space includes the tangible culture of the ancestral hall, including the material environment, architectural composition, and decoration. The meaning of the conceptual space comes from the intangible culture, including the clan culture and ancestral hall culture influenced by Confucian culture. The activities in the living space are a combination of tangible culture and intangible culture, with a focus on the holding of rituals. In this way, the effectiveness of the generation of the sense of place of the sacred place for the protection of traditional village architecture and culture is systematically explored.

2. Background

2.1. Meng Clan in En Village

En Village has a long history, and it has been more than 2000 years since it was built. According to the “Mountains and Rivers” in Volume 2 of the “Renhua County Chronicles” of the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, an old woman saved the descendants of the Wu Kingdom. The Wu Kingdom gave the name “En Village” to express gratitude. During the Yuanfeng period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1078–1085), the Meng family, who claimed to be the descendants of the Qin Dynasty generals, came to En Village from Jiangxi and settled there. Emphasizing the image of great ancestors, the Meng clan, through legends and stories, helped the immigrants to build a unique collective identity so that clan members could find a sense of belonging in history and culture, thereby gaining a sense of stability and security psychologically, and distinguishing themselves from other groups psychologically and culturally. More is needed for the existence of a clan. Since its completion in the 14th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1586), the Shike Ancestral Hall has embodied the clan’s material culture. It not only carries the history and culture of the Meng clan but has also become the central place for clan members to worship their ancestors and hold clan activities. The Shike Ancestral Hall is located in the center of En Village. Its architectural style incorporates the Lingnan architectural features of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is both solemn and elegant, and the building stones come from the red rocks of the nearby Danxia landform, so it also has local characteristics. The interior and exterior decorations of the ancestral hall are exquisitely carved, and the plaques and couplets carry the historical achievements and virtues of the family ancestors. As a place for worship and gatherings of the clan, the Shike Ancestral Hall has a core position in the inheritance of clan culture. Through annual ancestral worship ceremonies and collective activities, clan members strengthen their close connection with their ancestors, family history, and place, making the Shike Ancestral Hall a material cultural heritage of En Village and a symbol of the Meng family spirit(

Table 1. Important dynasties and their dates for the Meng family in En Village (source: author).

Dynasty	An introduction to the Corresponding Dynasties and Their Eras in China	Note
The Northern Song Dynasty	Yuanfeng (1078–1085) was an era name during the Northern Song Dynasty, during which Emperor Shenzong of Song, Zhao Xu, reigned for a total of eight years.	Came to En Village from Jiangxi and settled there
The Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (documents from this period)	Jiajing (1522–1566) was the reign title of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao. The Ming Dynasty used the reign title Jiajing for a total of 45 years.	Origin of the name “En Village”
The 14th year of the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty (1586)	Wanli (1573–1620) was the reign title of Ming Emperor Zhu Yijun. The Ming Dynasty used this title for a total of 48 years, making it the longest reign title used by the dynasty.	Completion of the Shike Ancestral Hall

).

2.2. Geographical Features

En Village is north of Guangdong, connecting Hunan and Jiangxi inwards and the Pearl River Delta region inwards (Figure 1). Before modern transport was widespread, it was a significant gateway connecting the Central Plains and the coastal areas of South China, with a superior geographical location. In addition, it has convenient water and land transportation. It has gradually developed into a commercial center at the junction of Guangdong, Hunan, and Jiangxi, gathering people from all walks of life and creating good conditions for the collision and integration of different cultures. Today, modern accessibility is an equally favorable factor for the development of En Village (Figure 2).

2.3. Status of En Village

These honors represent the gradual recognition of the value of En Village’s historical, cultural, and architectural heritage (

Table 2. En Village honors in recent years (source: author).

2009	En Village was listed as the second batch of ancient villages in Guangdong Province
2014	En Village was listed as the first batch of traditional villages in Guangdong Province
2019	En Village was included in the fifth batch of traditional Chinese villages
2024	En Village was rated as a 3A tourist attraction

). According to the selection criteria of the Chinese government’s competent departments, authenticity and integrity are the primary criteria. This is closely related to the concept of heritage protection in the Venice Charter, confirming its cultural value, promoting the implementation of protection measures, and providing an opportunity to find a balance between tourism development and heritage protection [2]. This honor enhances En Village’s popularity and lays a solid foundation for the sustainable protection and development of its cultural heritage.

Today, the Meng clan members live in En Village, and their footprints have traveled all over China and even overseas. The emotional connection between the Meng clan and the Shike Ancestral Hall, a specific place, has formed what Scannell and Gifford [3] have described as a meaningful place with which they have an emotional connection, forming a place attachment, which will help meet the individual’s psychological needs, including a sense of belonging, self-esteem, meaning, and happiness. Place attachment, as an emotional connection between an individual and a specific place, not only drives the protection of cultural heritage but also strengthens the sense of place of individuals and groups through this process. By exploring the symbolic place of the Shike Ancestral Hall (sacred building), cultural heritage can be continued, and the sense of place can be consolidated and deepened.

3. Literature Review

3.1. Narrative Perspective

The influence of religion on place attachment is complex, especially on the emotional and psychological level of the relationship between individuals and places. Counted [4] believes that religious and place attachments can replace each other, satisfying similar emotional needs and providing a sense of security. Understanding place requires combining objective and subjective realities. Theorists often regard the place as a single location or relationship while ignoring the meaning of human action. Entrikin [5] borrowed Ricoeur’s views and proposed that narrative is the key to connecting the subjective and the objective. However, his Cartesian dualism weakened the influence of place and time on specific meanings.

The binary perspective should be abandoned, and the relationship between place, people, and space should be analyzed from a dialectical perspective. With regard to telling the story of the ancestral temple through narrative, the dialectical relationship between space and place was first introduced to address the shortcomings of dualistic theory. Lefebvre’s [6] “spatial production” theory is well adapted to Marx’s interpretation of space. Researchers have emphasized that the spatial dimension is a suitable research method in place research [7,8,9,10,11,12].

3.2. Ancestral Hall as a Sacred Place

Leon Battista Alberti mentioned in On the Art of Building in Ten Books, “No aspect of building requires more ingenuity, care, industry, and diligence than the establishment and ornament of the temple.” [13]. Every architectural form has profound cultural symbolic significance. As an important sacred space in China, the ancestral hall is closely linked to cultural, social, and spiritual practices [14]. Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor [15] believes that the core of all religions lies in the belief in “souls” or “spirits”. Ancestor worship is the most common function of the ancestral hall and the intersection of clan power and divine power. The ancient Chinese believed that the dead become ghosts, but because the image of the ancestors was noble, they preferred to respect them as “gods”. However, the divine power in ancient China was always attached to the imperial power. Whether it was Buddhism introduced in the Han Dynasty or the native Taoism, they gradually became Confucianized. The difference between the ancestral hall and other sacred buildings is that it was built under the Confucian system. Confucian philosophy focuses on real life, emphasizes personal cultivation and social responsibility, and advocates improving society and governing the country through knowledge and practice. Therefore, Confucianism is a rational, pragmatic, and prudent ideological system.

Although the ancestral hall provides a place for the clan members to know and worship their ancestral spirits, such spirits are not out of reach but are close ancestors of the same clan. Therefore, the ancestral hall reduces the mystery and adds a sense of closeness to the residents.

As one of the most important architectural activities in local and rural areas, the ancestral hall embodies blood worship, ancestor worship, and power worship and shows a strong local culture and iconic characteristics. The ancestral hall not only carries ancient philosophy, clan systems, and moral ethics, but also meets material and spiritual needs, provides cultural identity and a sense of order for the clan members, and forms a unique institutional culture and consciousness. It can be seen from this that the ancestral hall, a specific sacred building, deeply influences an individual’s clan beliefs.

3.3. Sense of Place in Sacred Architecture

“Place” refers to a space that acquires meaning through individual, collective, or cultural processes [16]. It is also a universal emotional bond [16,17], including ancestral connections, a sense of “insiders”, and a desire to remain in the local area [18].

Regarding its significance to human life, the place can be defined as any environmental location that brings together the actions, experiences, intentions, and meanings of individuals or groups in time and space [17]. An important aspect of a place is its environmental atmosphere, often described as a sense of place and defined as the specific characteristics, atmosphere, and expressive energy of a particular environment or place [19]. The sense of place is a person’s subjective perception based on a specific experience in a given environment. It is a basic element in maintaining the attachment relationship between people and the environment based on people’s long-term conscious feelings [20]. Stedman [21] emphasized the potentially important contribution of the physical environment to the meaning and attachment of the place in the sense of place. Pred [22] believed that place is a process, and the social structure of empowerment produces the activities of people and institutions. The place is produced through action, and action is produced in the place in a repeated process. Seamon [23] also agrees with this view that the process produces the biography of people and things, and the reaction of the biography produces the place. Therefore, the basic components of the sense of place include physical environment, meaning, and activities. Punter [24] also believes that three main factors in building a sense of place are the physical environment, meaning, and activities (Figure 3). The researcher applied Ponte’s sense of place to the case of this study, as shown in

Table 3. Based on Punter’s [24] concept of sense of place in the Shike Ancestral Hall. (source: author).

Sense of Place Concretized in the Shike Ancestral Hall
Physical setting	Built data (tangible) Layout of building space, building structure, decoration of buildings, accessories in the premises, cultural symbols
Meaning	Cultural data (intangible) Documents: Confucian culture, clan culture, ancestral hall culture Current documents: local county records, genealogies, family trees clan rules, village rules, family traditions
Activity	Records of cultural activities (rituals, celebrations, educational activities), intangible cultural heritage (fire and incense dragon dance, unique water and land antiphonal songs, bamboo weaving techniques), and modes of expression (verbal, tone of voice, living habits)

.

Of course, you may encounter a combination of physical environment, meaning, and activities in any place. However, as a local sacred building, the Shike Ancestral Hall has a rich and diverse material structure. Constantly changing meanings have accumulated, which are personalized and related to local history. Some meanings also reflect the overall culture of the society. Places are generated in activities. In the study of the location of the En Village Shike Ancestral Hall, activities are more reflected in the daily lives of local people, such as major festival celebrations, sacrifices, weddings, and funerals. Tangible heritage is inseparable from spiritual practice, and locals value the intangible aspects of culture, especially in their sacred places and sacred buildings [25].

3.4. Henri Lefebvre’s Triad of Space

As Merrifield points out, based on Lefebvre’s theory of spatial production, the relationship between conceived, perceived, and lived is not stable but has historically defined attributes and content [26]. Therefore, triad theory loses its political and analytical resonance if it remains at an abstract level, and it must be integrated with actual flesh and blood, culture, and real-life relationships and events to truly demonstrate its significance.

Yuncu uses Lefebvre’s spatial triad as the main argument in his study, showing that the dual production of designed narrative and performance space provides readers and visitors with a unique spatial experience, and acknowledges that it would be better if the space in literary texts could be represented by architecture [27]. Watkins drew on Lefebvre’s spatial triad to emphasize the interaction of the three levels and their importance in the study of the social world. Watkins believed that Lefebvre’s spatial triad helps to reveal and solve problems in organizations and called on researchers to re-examine the connection between the abstract concept of organizational space and actual life experience [28].

In 2022, Bahauddin [20] applied Lefebvre’s well-established framework of the three elements of space in the study of holy places, emphasizing that sacred places should not only highlight physical space (perceptual space, spatial practice, and structure), but also conceptual characteristics or values (conceived space, spatial representation, and form), as well as the emotional aspects of the community (spaces of representations, living space, and function). In sacred buildings, religious beliefs influence the spatial practices of believers, which is also classified as conceived space. By integrating and interpreting Lefebvre’s three elements of space, Bahauddin argued that the physical characteristics of a place (perceived space) form meaningful memories through continuous physical experience, thus triggering emotional responses and forming a sense of place, which is the essence of lived space [20] (

Table 4. Sense of place conceptual correspondence between Punter [24] and Lefebvre [29] (source: author).

Punter’s Sense of Place	Lefebvre’s Space Triad	Meaning in Shike Ancestral Hall
Physical setting	Perceived space	Spatial practice; rich and diverse material structures; locations; landforms; tangible
Meaning	Conceived space	Representations of space, cultural beliefs; local history, values, spiritual; intangible
Activity	Lived space	Spaces of representations; function; social; tangible and intangible

).

4. Research Outline

This study adopts a qualitative research method, taking En Village in Guangdong Province as a case study. Researching heritage buildings requires understanding their history through ethnography and exploring the architectural experience brought by architectural phenomenology in architecture. Although the phenomenological method is less studied in the literature, it helps to determine the attributes of place, which provide aesthetic, sensory, and emotional appreciation [16,30].

The data collection methods of this study are divided into four categories: observation, literature, interviews, and audio-visual materials.

From the narrative perspective, it is divided into three narrative themes: ancestral hall architectural narrative, comprehensive cultural narrative, and life narrative (

Table 5. Narrative perspective and sense of place correspondence between Lefebvre’s concept of the three elements of space and their application in this study.

Narrative Perspective	Sense of Place	Spatial Triad Theory	Application in This Study
Architectural narrative	Physical	Perceived space	Geographic location, external environment, architectural elements, material sacredness of Shike Ancestral Hall
Cultural narrative	Meaning	Conceived space	Confucian culture and clan culture, ancestral hall culture
Life narrative	Activity	Lived space	The specific manifestation of spatial functions under the influence of Confucian culture and clan culture

). The ancestral hall architectural narrative explores the role of the ancestral hall space and the villagers’ experience, emphasizing the physical environment and atmosphere. It is also the main medium for understanding cultural narratives and life narratives. The cultural narrative is closely related to the environment and cultural background, mainly referring to the identity and social norms formed by the villagers under the influence of Confucian culture and clan culture, which will also provide a framework for interpreting the experience. Life narrative focuses on the ancestral hall as a diverse collection of real-life experience places. It combines the physical space of the ancestral hall with the cultural background behind it and shows the villagers’ daily life experiences in the ancestral hall. The three narratives form a network for understanding architecture, culture, and life. These three themes correspond to Ponte’s construction of a sense of place: physical environment, meaning, and activity. In order to better integrate theory into narrative practice, Lefebvre’s three spaces are also added for analysis. The physical dimension of space corresponds to the perceived space, the meaning corresponds to the conceived space, and the activity corresponds to the lived space. Through on-site observation, the cultural value and identity brought by the ancestral hall architecture in the physical environment of the perceived space (tangible architecture) and the conceived space (intangible, social order, spiritual space) are derived—the continuity and characteristics of culture. Finally, the imaginary space is added to the specific place (perceived space) of the ancestral hall to integrate the intangible, abstract, and spiritual material forces into the ancestral hall. Practice can be generated in the lived space, including using spatial functions, using space in the cultural context, and using ancestral halls. It is also necessary to interview local people and people doing this work, capture relevant actual materials and understanding of ancestral hall architecture, and organize them into textual materials. This basis, combined with the sense of place of the ancestral hall, determines the actual practices of cultural protection and architectural protection (Table 5).

5. Case Study—Shike Ancestral Hall

5.1. Using Phenomenology to Perceive Sacred Buildings in Shike Ancestral Hall

The multi-sensory experience is an integral part of perceiving sacred buildings. Shike Ancestral Hall is the most important sacred building in En Village. When researchers enter En Village, they should not only pay attention to the historical value, artistic value, and architectural features of Shike Ancestral Hall, but also pay attention to the embodiment of the sacredness of the sacred building. According to the phenomenological strategy stated in the research outline, the researcher will enter the case site as a reflective practitioner and show the embodiment of the sacredness of Shike Ancestral Hall through a multi-sensory experience, which also reflects the importance and necessity of on-site observation.

The whole process is closely related to the existence of the body. The focus is not on observing and understanding the role of people but on integrating the whole body into the architectural experience, forming a familiar feeling through the body’s vision, hearing, taste, and touch. Common sense is what Yujiro Nakamura [29] emphasized, which is based on the body and forms a language with physical experience. Common sense will become the basis of the group’s common physical experience and judgment, forming a world based on the body entirely of metaphors and emotions of material imagination.

5.1.1. The Sense of Touch in Sacred Space

The skin is the largest organ of the human body. The skin entering a complex material building can bring a complex experience. As a traditional Chinese sacred building, the Shike Ancestral Hall material has long existed. It has a sense of history and intimacy that cannot be compared with modern secular buildings. Experiencing the Shike Ancestral Hall with touch is an experience that other senses cannot replace.

When material materials are combined with architecture, they will have a reasonable interpretation of the local characteristics and conditions of En Village. Emphasizing the touch and material imagination of the body-based material helps to create and build local identity. As early as the spring and autumn periods, the ancients identified gold, wood, water, fire, and earth as five practical materials represented by the five elements. The earth produces five materials, the most basic of which is the composition of all things [31].

Wood: Wood is the most common building material in the Shike Ancestral Hall. For example, brackets, wood carvings, wooden columns, plaques, and beams are all wood. Wood’s plasticity, lightness, and stability are why it is widely used. The main entrance of the Shike Ancestral Hall (Figure 4) is almost entirely made of wood, and it is the only part of the Ancestral Hall that has not been rebuilt. Wood feels warm, organic, and soft and has primitive natural properties. Touching wood can make one feel that it is alive and challenging. In terms of material, wood should be the most profound impression the En Village villagers have of the Shike Ancestral Hall.

Soil: Soil is the foundation of the architecture of the Shike Ancestral Hall. Whether it is the rammed earth at the beginning of the construction or the bricks and tiles used in the construction process, they all come from the earth element. Through the cracks in the wall at the corner (Figure 5), the researchers touched the original earth bricks, which felt damp and had large patches of mold (Figure 6). The villagers covered the original earth bricks when they were renovating. The villagers had good intentions to make the temple building more beautiful, but they did not realize the properties of earth and bricks. The earth bricks in traditional buildings need to breathe. When it is humid, the earth bricks can absorb moisture and emit it when it is hot. This is the characteristic of the earth, which can bring support and firmness to the building and bring people heaviness and simplicity. More importantly, it also regulates humidity.

Stone and soil share the same roots, and stone also belongs to the category of soil [32]. The stone materials of the Shike Ancestral Hall mainly include the column bases, the drum stones (Figure 7), and the stones under the eaves (Figure 8). The mythical beasts on the drum stones have been rubbed smooth because people want to feel the power of the mythical beasts by touching them, hoping to bring good luck. The stones of the column bases and the eaves are from the local Danxia Mountain. They are the unique red sandstone from the Danxia landform and represent the local characteristics of the Shike Ancestral Hall.

Fire: Fire is, of course, not touchable. In the Shike Ancestral Hall, the fire element is not directly reflected. Fire here reflects its transformational function. Bricks and tiles are made by burning fire. Therefore, the fire element on the surface can cook food and bring warmth, and it can be transformed to help humans burn bricks and tiles and melt metals. At this time, the fire element cannot be felt through other senses, but the powerful force brought by fire can be felt by touching bricks and tiles. It is an indispensable element in architecture.

Gold: Gold is a metal used in building materials. Metal is not used much in traditional buildings, and the same is true for the Shike Ancestral Hall. Except for the metal used in the locks of doors and windows, it does not appear in large quantities. First of all, metal is not as easy to obtain as civil materials, and the process of producing metal is more complicated and costly. Secondly, people prefer natural materials based on the philosophy of the unity of man and nature. However, in addition to the practical function of metal in door locks, there are metal features on stone carvings and wood carvings, such as metal door knockers, drum nails on drum stones, and chains on wood carvings. The metal here reflects majesty and power.

Water: Water is not directly used as a building material, but it is an indispensable element in the composition of other building materials. The design of the patio allows rainwater to enter the room and then be discharged through the underground canal. Water has its spatial circulation, which undoubtedly reflects its importance. Its agility, smoothness, temperature, and touch make the space seem to change rapidly.

5.1.2. Light in Sacred Space

The light in the Shike Ancestral Hall comes from only one source: the patio. The Shike Ancestral Hall is located in the northwest and faces the southeast. As the sun rises from the east and sets in the west, the light moves every minute and every second, presenting its dynamics and rhythm. This change not only enriches the experience of the space but also gives the building a vivid and agile quality. The light in the morning (Figure 9) will start from the ancestral bedroom and reach the central hall as time passes (Figure 10), and the light in the afternoon (Figure 11) will shine on the gate. The patio is the most direct manifestation of the ancestral hall’s interpretation of the unity of man and nature. The light on the patio communicates the close relationship between nature, man, gods, and architecture.

In Confucian culture, family honor is closely related to personal responsibility. This relationship is reflected in many idioms, such as “glorify the ancestors” and “glorify the door lintel”, which can illustrate the relationship between ancestors, individuals, and light. It refers to the mission to add glory to the ancestors through personal efforts and make the whole family glorious, so light can symbolize the specific expression of personal respect and return to the ancestors.

Therefore, in the sacred building, the light of the Shike Ancestral Hall gives the building a flexible sense of space and reflects the individual’s return to the ancestors’ grace and the ancestors’ evaluation of the clan members. On the contrary, light has a subconscious educational effect on the clan members.

5.1.3. Sounds of Sacred Spaces

To experience a meaningful place, one should not only walk around in its space, but observe its form and materials, touch its surface, and feel it through hearing. The ancestral hall is different from other sacred buildings in that it is still a part of the lives of local people and is closely related to essential rituals in life. Therefore, as a sacred building in En Village, the sound of the Shike Ancestral Hall should be diverse, rich, and closer to life. Therefore, to feel the sound in the sacred space of the Shike Ancestral Hall, one should analyze it in combination with the architecture and the rituals in life.

The building itself: First, the most crucial auditory experience of the Shike Ancestral Hall should be the tranquility it shows. A building of more than 400 years’ age has experienced the changes of the times, multiple natural disasters, and distant ritual sounds. The ancestral hall is in tranquility most of the time. At this time, the flickering sound of the burning wick in front of the dark bedroom of the ancestral hall and the friction sound of the incense ash falling into the incense burner were unusually clear. The sacredness of the quiet sound in the ancestral hall space helps people understand the source of history, allowing people to slowly enter reality and think about using “Ultimate Concern” to shape and strengthen the lost identity.

Sounds from nature: The patio architectural elements of the World Science Temple introduce beautiful sounds from nature. En Village has a subtropical, humid monsoon climate with sufficient rainfall, especially in the rainy season from April to July every year. The frequency of rain is very high. When the rain falls from the roof around and falls into the stone-cut pool below, it drizzles when the rain is slight and crackles when it is heavy. It can inspire clan literati to think about natural phenomena and resonate with their inner thoughts and emotions, thus triggering poetic inspiration and philosophical thinking.

5.1.4. Smell of Sacred Space

In religious ceremonies and ceremonies, smell is potent because it is highly personal. As a reflective practitioner, I believe that the sensory stimulation brought by smell can awaken personal memories and emotions more than other senses. At the same time, smell is collective because it can unite the group through everyday emotional experiences [33].

In the Book of Rites, Confucius explained the nature of gods and ghosts. He emphasized that the so-called gods and ghosts are composed of gas. After death, the body is buried underground, and the spirit is presented as gas [34]. The smell of the sacrifice should be the richest, including the smell of the sacrifice itself (Figure 12), the smoke of the incense, and the body gas of the person. Therefore, during the sacrificial ceremony, the smell can interact with the gas of the ancestors. The most important thing is to nourish the ancestors through the smell and make the clan members present feel the atmosphere of the smell.

Judging from the offerings used by the Meng clan to worship their ancestors, the meats used for the sacrifices include fish, pig heads, and chickens. The common feature of these three types of food is that they need to be mixed or cooked. This is recorded in the “Rituals”.

Translation: (The big soup is the juice from cooking sacrificial meat. It does not blend the five flavors together, emphasizing the importance of quality, and is a way of respecting the corpse) [35].

This means that the meat offered to the ancestors does not need to be flavored, and the most important thing is to emphasize the food’s original smell. It can be seen that the offerings prepared for the ancestors are essential, clean, and sacred so that the souls of the ancestors can be nourished by the essential, clean, and rich sacred taste during the sacrificial process. After the sacrificial ceremony, the participants also achieve blood ties with the tribe through the taste of the offerings and experience the blessings from the common ancestors.

The most common smell in the Shike Ancestral Hall is incense. Whether it is the first and fifteenth day of each month or weddings and funerals, incense will always appear. It can be seen that burning incense is the most frequent and simple offering ceremony, and it can even be performed every day, so incense is the most common communication medium between the tribe and the ancestors.

Sperber mentioned that smell is the most typical symbol [36]. Religious incense is institutionalized and stereotyped by different societies, and it becomes a cultural symbol. The fragrance will affect believers, but the full power of these olfactory impressions lies in the personal symbolic field, in that they can evoke unknown memories and emotions in social communication.

In order to successfully convey the smell of the first two to the ancestors, the most important thing is the human body gas, that is, the “smell” of the ritual performer during the sacrifice process. It is emphasized that the ceremonial person needs to have an extremely pious attitude, and the offerings and incense offered to the ancestors will be accepted. The Meng family genealogy also warns descendants that they need to be sincere when worshiping their ancestors. How is the piety of the ritualist reflected in the sacrifice? Lin Sujuan summarized that in the sacrificial rituals of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, the ritualist must have the fragrance of virtue so that the smell of other sacrifices can be passed on to the ancestors [37]. Therefore, when the sacrificial activities are held in En Village, the clan members will jointly recommend a respected elder as the ceremony’s host (Figure 13).

5.2. The Perceived Space of the Shike Ancestral Hall—Spatial Practice

The fact that the ancestral hall of En Village can be preserved in the tortuous history of China is inseparable from the blood-related villages of single surnames. The villagers have a clear blood relationship; the ancestral hall buildings are connected with the residential buildings, and life and faith are closely linked. Even the ancestral hall plays a decisive role in the village’s layout. The site selection of the village under agricultural civilization will be conducive to production and life. En Village is no exception. From the perspective of its location, it follows the environmental concepts of facing south, yin, and yang, with the back against the mountain and the front facing the water (Figure 14). The mountain symbolizes yin, quietness, steadiness, and stability, and the water is flowing, symbolizing yang and continuous flow. Therefore, from the perspective of location alone, the external environment of En Village is a landscape model that combines ideals with reality.

Shike Ancestral Hall, also known as Meng’s Ancestral Temple, is a cultural relic protection unit in Shao guan City. Built in the 14th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1586), Shike Ancestral Hall is located in the most prominent position in the village (Figure 14), the central position.

The Shike Temple is the center of our village. The surrounding environment and houses are also centered on the Shike Ancestral Hall. In front is the En River and behind is the mountain.

(Informant 1)

Other ancestral halls and residential buildings are arranged around Shike Ancestral Hall. Since the Zhou Dynasty, the rulers believed they were the world’s center. The center of the world means the ability to communicate with the sky, reflecting the sacred mission of the rulers, and it is also the original opportunity for the harmonious rule of the man of “unity of heaven, earth and man”. This is the same as Delphi, which is the center of the world and comes from ancient Greek divination and the will of the gods [38]. The ancient capital’s spatial planning and political sanctification are reflected in the architectural construction, which reflects the early political and geographical space construction and early cosmic space cultural consciousness in China. Therefore, centering in ancient China is one of the most important channels for the secular and the sacred to get in touch [39]. This idea has also continued with the construction of the capitals of successive dynasties. As the cultural and political center of ancient En Village, Shike Ancestral Hall also continued the idea of being in the center, which represents both a psychological belonging and a spiritual center.

According to the En Village Meng Clan Genealogy:

“Our Shike Ancestral Hall has the best location in the village… Therefore, since it was built during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, it has been simple and has not been changed for hundreds of years. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, the clan director proposed rebuilding it. Construction began in the Jiayin year (1914) and was completed the next year.”

This record shows that Shike Ancestral Hall occupies the best location in the village. Since its construction, it has undergone three large-scale renovations, all in the same central location. The first was the third year of the Republic of China (1914), the second was the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919), and the third was the renovation in 1996. The same location is sacred, as reflected in other parts of the world. The Sumerian temple, which carries the task of communicating with the gods, is undoubtedly the only center of these cities. From the early Ubaid to the late Uruk, a series of temples built at the same location in Eridu, Iraq, are stacked continuously, making the temple more sacred [40]. The custom of building on the original site of the Mayan Garden has given the new and old temples a sleeve-like structure. The reconstruction of the old site is undoubtedly intended to determine the sacredness of the address, which contains the belief in death and rebirth. This is fully reflected in the “replacement” system of Japanese Shintoism. The shrine will be rebuilt on the old site every 20 years [41].

In order to analyze the architectural narrative elements more intuitively, the researchers divided the Shike Ancestral Hall into basic architectural space, architectural elements, and additional elements (Figure 15). The ancestral hall space is divided into the gate space, the central hall space, and the bedroom hall space (Figure 16).

The gate space of the Shike Ancestral Hall (Figure 17) is preserved in its original state. It is the most artistically valuable of the four existing temples in En Village. The main gate is a three-room, two-entry, three-door gate. The corners of the wing are exquisitely tilted, and two wooden eaves columns penetrate the top. The eaves on the top of the columns are stacked with eight bays. There are brackets under the eaves and a horizontal moon beam between the columns. There is a Han version of the plaque on it, engraved with the four characters “叔侄亚魁” (Uncle Second, Nephew First) (Figure 18).

The story of “叔侄亚魁” (Uncle Second, Nephew First)  is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people… generation is stronger than the next, inspiring the villagers to study seriously and transmitting the core spirit of the family culture.

(Informant 2)

The plaque is the finishing touch of ancient Chinese architecture, called the “eye of architecture” [42]. It is a combination of calligraphy art and folk craft. The court often bestows plaques to praise officials with outstanding political achievements or people who uphold feudal ethics and morality. The plaque of the Shike Ancestral Hall “叔侄亚魁” (Uncle Second, Nephew First) was bestowed by the emperor in feudal society. The uncle and nephew took the exam together; the nephew ranked first, and the uncle ranked second, but the uncle had to be ranked before the nephew in the plaque inscription. This is the basic principle of the hierarchy system in Confucian feudal society, reflecting the obedience of the elders in the Confucian family ethics. The villagers of En Village regard this plaque as a symbol of honor to encourage the descendants of En Village to continue studying hard and making progress.

Under the steps of the front eaves’ corridor, outside the wooden fence, there is a small curved roof. The Ming Jian, an ancient architectural space concept, is the basic unit of a single building between the two wings. According to architectural habits, the Ming Jian is generally slightly more significant than other rooms; the width of the Ming Jian is determined by the distance between the two front pillars (Figure 17). Pillars first appeared in the cave-dwelling era. A single pillar, as the central supporting form of a single cave dwelling, symbolizes the image of the pillar of heaven in the myth of heaven and earth [43]. Therefore, the space formed by multiple pillars is not the material space that the physical building wants to express most. The pillars’ elements build a material bridge in the sacred mission of communicating between heaven and earth, between the central position and the old site, and realize the connection between artificial space, materiality, and the cultural symbolism of the universe.

According to the habits of traditional Chinese architecture, the pillars above the gate space should be connected with the dougong to support the eaves of the pagoda-style hip roof of the Shike Ancestral Hall. However, the decorative function of the dougong of the Shike Ancestral Hall is greater than the actual supporting function, which inevitably makes researchers explore other symbolic meanings of the dougong of the Shike Ancestral Hall. The origin of dougong has always been a topic of debate among scholars. Han proposed the possibility that the dougong had a religious origin. He cited the dougong in the back room of the Yinan Han Tomb as an example [44] (Figure 19). Because there were no columns, it made people feel that the dougong itself was indeed an entity that was worshipped. The Haihui Hall of the Lower Huayan Temple, built in 1035, is particularly noteworthy for the fact that the span between the columns on the front of the Haihui Hall (Figure 20) is about 6 m, which is no different from other buildings at the same time, and its overhangs are not affected. This shows that the dougong system itself is unnecessary and has little to do with overhangs [44]. In the Ganesha Ratha temple complex (Figure 21) in ancient India in the 7th century AD, many images similar to dougong were used. It is a monumental religious building in India. These stone buildings are replicas of previous wooden versions [45]. Therefore, to understand the dougong of the Shike Ancestral Hall, we can describe it in terms of the symbolic and decorative aspects.

Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the rulers have had clear regulations on folk architecture. Ordinary people’s buildings are not allowed to use dougong and decorative colors [47]. Therefore, the dougong is a symbol of identity under the etiquette system and symbolizes the family’s glory. The brackets of the Shike Ancestral Hall are carved into a wave shape, and the waves are stacked layer by layer, full of the dynamic beauty of waves (Figure 22). Of course, many water-related carving styles are used in the gate space, such as the queti (brackets) in the picture below, which also use waves and water grass patterns (Figure 23). The soft curves of the water contrast with the hard lines of the overall structure of the building, enhancing the overall aesthetic effect of the building, as if the entire ancestral hall is in the dynamic water, implying good luck and staying away from disasters.

Jung proposed that symbols play a role as a bridge between individual and collective experience in culture and believed that the cultural experience and archetypes shared by humans will affect the psychological development of individuals [48]. These archetypes are expressed in the form of symbols in different cultures. Unlike the traditional Western way of thinking, characterized by language and logic-centrism, the traditional Chinese way of thinking is characterized by image-centrism [49].

There are many carvings in the Shike Ancestral Hall (Figure 24), and the contents of the paintings all use allegory and symbolism. For example, the dragon carved on the beam, and the unicorn, lion, red bird, rabbit, and deer above the plaque.

Dragons, symbols of divine power in Chinese mythology, later became emblems of authority under the feudal system. In folklore, they also represented bravery, majesty, mystery, and auspiciousness. In the Shike Ancestral Hall, dragon wood carvings and dragon paintings are used in the interior space. There is even a legendary son of the dragon. The image of Jiaotu (Figure 25) is carved on the drum stone in the gate space. Jiaotu likes to keep his mouth shut and has a gentle temperament. He does not like others or foreign objects to enter his nest. He mainly plays the role of guarding the house. There is also a son of the dragon on the roof of the Shike Ancestral Hall, called Chiwei (Figure 26). The image is a dragon with a fishtail. He likes to stand in a high place and look out, hoping for rain, so he is often carved on the house’s roof. It is said to have the effect of guarding the house and extinguishing fire.

The core of Confucianism is “benevolence”. In order to visualize the abstract concept, the “benevolent beast”, Qilin was invented (Figure 27). Using the virtual concrete “benevolent beast” to express abstract moral concepts has also generated more implications about Qilin, including the implication of being beneficial to the continuation of the clan (legend has it that Qilin can bring children to the family) and the pursuit of official positions by the clan members [50].

Lions were introduced to China as a tribute in the Yuan Dynasty. They were gradually integrated into Chinese myths and legends and became sacred creatures. Compared with lions in palace buildings, the image of folk lions is richer. The lion shape appears three times in the Shike Ancestral Hall, all concentrated in the gate space. The three lions have different shapes and symbolic meanings. The lion rolling the ball is a male and female lion rolling the ball, which represents joy and good things coming (Figure 28). The two sculptures of small sitting lions on the queti are cute and represent a large family (Figure 29). There are also two wooden lions locked by iron chains, with a ferocious image, which have the function of warding off evil spirits (Figure 30).

As a passage to enter the sacred space, the door is also a weak point connecting the outside world and the inside and a place where mysterious forces of nature may invade. The ancients believed that door gods could connect with real gods through portraits. Door gods are divided into two categories: martial door gods and civil door gods.

Martial official door gods usually hold weapons, wear armor, and look angry (Figure 31). Their primary function is to ward off evil spirits. The door gods of the Shike Ancestral Hall are civil official (Figure 32). They have a kind face and graceful body, wear official hats court robes, and hold ruyi. Essential elements, such as the official hat, ruyi, belt, and dragons on the official uniforms, are outlined with three-dimensional lines using lime.

That door god at the Shike Ancestral Hall is unique. I have to say that I have only seen this kind of door god here.

(Informant 3)

The image of the door gods of the Shike Ancestral Hall shows wisdom and kindness. While protecting safety, they can also bless the prosperity of culture and studies, reflecting the clan members’ yearning for fame and fortune under the Confucian imperial examination system.

In the second volume of the Book of Rites, the emperor performed five sacrifices, and Zhonglu is one of them. Zheng Xuan’s commentary on “Rites of Rites·Zhonglu” explains the relationship between Zhonglu and the room. Zhonglu is in the center of the room and cannot be covered. In addition to ensuring lighting and ventilation, it expresses the symbolic meaning of connecting heaven and earth. Later, many historical documents proved that Zhonglu is the central hall space of the ancestral hall [51] (Figure 33). Therefore, the most significant sacred mission of the central hall space of the ancestral hall is to connect heaven and earth.

Therefore, the patio space in the Shike Ancestral Hall can express a view of death, transforming the nothingness of death into the illusion of immortality and the tragedy of death into sacredness. This sacredness is the expectation of clan members for their common ancestors. If the ancestors can ascend to the fairyland, it will inevitably bring welfare to the clan members.

5.3. The Conceptual Space and Living Space of the Shike Ancestral Hall

The presence or absence of a genealogy and an ancestral hall is considered a sign of the formation of a clan. If the ancestral hall is a tangible symbol of the clan, then the genealogy is the intangible life code that unlocks the clan’s story. The Chinese are a nation that attaches great importance to the history and memory of the family. The country compiles history books, the local government compiles local chronicles, and the people compile family trees to record the family’s history. When living in groups, the ancestors discovered that inbreeding would affect the health of offspring, and this is where the family tree that records blood relations has its roots. In the Zhou Dynasty, the patriarchal system and the eldest son inheritance system were established, and the family tree system that records blood relations and the eldest and youngest of the legitimate and illegitimate children conformed to the development of this system.

In 1138, in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Meng clan of En Village began to compile a family tree, and as of 2006, ten revisions were completed. After the Song Dynasty, the family background gradually became less critical, and the imperial examination was emphasized. The primary function of the family tree was moral education and education. Entering the Ming Dynasty, genealogy entered a period of perfection, and its function gradually transformed into an educational and ethical one. Compiling the genealogy was meant to promote and practice the “Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues” and the ethical ideas of loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness. In the Qing Dynasty, filial piety was emphasized in governing the world, and genealogy also focused on the moral functions of respecting ancestors and respecting the clan.

First, the En Village villagers can find their family origins and development history in the genealogy, which is valuable information for tracing the clan’s roots. This is the need of the clan itself and the clan members themselves. Maslow talked about the hierarchy of needs theory. Individuals must feel they belong to a family, group, or society to further achieve a higher level of self-realization [52]. The villagers of En Village are eager for a sense of belonging, and this need is very important for their mental health and identity. Secondly, the traditional virtues and ethical norms contained in the family precepts, family education, clan rules, and other aspects of genealogy are still worth advocating.

Among them, the first rule of the clan rules (Figure 34) is to teach the descendants to be filial and take filial piety as the foundation of all conduct.

When I go to the ancestral hall now, I get the feeling that I want to shed tears and think of my deceased mum and dad, as if they are watching over us.

(Informant 3)

Filial piety is the core principle of Confucian ethics, which greatly affects family relationships and social norms [53]. Clan culture pays special attention to this point. It can be seen that “filial piety” is an important bond to maintain the stability of feudal society and an important foundation for the unity and harmony of the clan.

The third article of the clan rules (Figure 35) is that, to make the Meng clan members remember their ancestors, there are ancestral temple and tomb sacrifices. This is a way to communicate with the gods, and its etiquette should be carried out as per the “Family Rites”. Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty compiled the “Family Rites” [54], which fully implemented Confucian etiquette in the people’s living world. Through the conduct and transformation of rituals, Confucian etiquette is combined with daily life to construct a sacred space centered on the ancestral hall [55]. Eliade introduced the term hierophany, which means that the sacred object shows itself to us [56]. That is, when the sacred represents itself with any hierophany, the homogeneity of the space is interrupted. Eliade emphasized that only hierophany can reveal an absolute base point and mark a center. The ancestral hall is where clan members worship, and the center of the worship site is the ancestral tablet (Figure 36) in the bedroom space (Figure 37). The ancestral tablet corresponds to Eliade’s description of hierophany and is also the sacred center. Every ritual activity begins with a sacrifice, and the ancestral spirits in descendants’ hearts are awakened through the sacrificial procedure. The awakening of the ancestral soul gives new vitality to the family history and bloodline and instantly transforms the ancestral hall into a sacred and solemn place. At this sacred moment, the mighty spirits of the ancestors are like the invisible force between heaven and earth, either granting blessings to their descendants or severely punishing their unfilial descendants. As a space for settling the souls of the ancestors, the ancestral hall transcends the mundane architectural function and becomes the center of the family’s spiritual and religious beliefs. The family’s ethics and religious nature can be continued through this space, forming a collective sense of sacredness and belonging.

5.3.1. Life Etiquette in the Shike Ancestral Hall

In the Meng family genealogy, the fifth article of family education (Figure 38) explains that the clan members should follow the four basic daily life etiquettes: the coming-of-age ceremony, wedding, funeral, and sacrifice. These are also the four rites advocated by Zhu Xi in “Family Rites”, and he described in detail how to conduct them. It can be seen that these four rites depict that the important nodes of a person’s life need to be carried out around the ancestors and gods. The ancestral hall, ancestors, and clan members will also be internalized into the deep consciousness of the clan members in such life etiquette. However, in the Meng family education, it is emphasized that when facing the four major etiquettes, such as weddings and funerals, clan members should respond flexibly to the specific situation and do what they can, and the family should unite and help each other. In this way, the spirit of mutual assistance within the family is demonstrated. At the same time, respect for etiquette and the humanity of etiquette is ensured, thus maintaining the harmony and honor of the family.

5.3.2. Ancestor Worship

According to the Family Rites [54], the ritual time points for ancestor worship are divided into five points, the four seasons (the first month of spring), the winter (winter solstice), the spring (beginning of spring), the autumn (the first month of autumn), and the tomb (early March), and the steps of each ritual of ancestor worship are clearly defined [57]. However, with the development of the times, the ritual of ancestor worship has been dramatically simplified in En Village. The first article of the family education in the Meng family genealogy (Figure 39) stipulates the time of clan worship, requiring clan members to take turns to prepare incense and candles for the ancestral hall on the first and fifteenth day of each month.

In addition to important festivals such as the Qingming Festival and Lantern Festival, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, the Zhongyuan Festival, and Winter Solstice are also vital time points for sacrifice. During these festivals, the food for sacrifice is flexibly arranged according to the actual situation of the family to avoid extravagance and waste. At the same time, if the sacrificial utensils in the ancestral hall are damaged, they must be replaced in time to ensure the solemnity and integrity of the sacrificial ceremony. These regulations reflect respect for ancestors and emphasize the inheritance of clan unity and family responsibility.

The Qingming Festival is the most critical ancestral festival for the Meng family in En Village. The descendants of the Meng family, who are far away, must return to the village to participate in the annual sacrificial activities. The Qingming Festival is also divided into enormous sacrifices and small sacrifices. The Qingming Festival in En village has a big sacrifice every five years, and the enormous sacrifice is grander (Figure 40). In addition to the sacrifice, there will be folk art performances to celebrate this grand ceremony together. The Qingming sacrificial activities of the Meng family in En Village continue the traditional filial piety ethics and carry the history and culture of the Meng clan. The ancestral worship ceremony carries the history and culture of the Meng clan. It is also an emotional bond that connects the collective memory of the members of the En village clan.

6. Discussion and Conclusions

As of now, a total of 8155 villages in China have been included in the Chinese Traditional Village Protection List and have been put under listing protection. A total of 16 provinces have included 5028 villages in the provincial traditional village protection list, protecting 556,000 traditional buildings and inheriting and developing 5965 items of provincial and intangible cultural heritage, forming the world’s largest, most valuable, and most complete agricultural civilization heritage protection group [58]. At present, the protection of traditional villages in China faces legal and institutional limitations. The Cultural Relics Protection Law, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law, and the Regulations on the Protection of Historical and Cultural Cities, Towns, and Villages pay insufficient attention to the overall protection of villages. A large number of villages that have not been announced as historical and cultural villages lack a sound legal basis, and local legislation has limited coverage and differences. Against this background, it is particularly necessary and urgent to formulate special legislation at the national level to unify protection ideas, establish core systems, clarify rights and obligations, and coordinate relevant legal relations. It is worth looking forward to the “Legislative Work Plan of the State Council in 2024”, which proposes preparing for the formulation of regulations on the protection of traditional villages, and relevant work is progressing in an orderly manner.

It can be seen that the Shike Ancestral Hall in En Village is not only a physical building but also an essential embodiment of social structure, cultural order, and historical memory. Its protection is not only about the building itself but also about the continuation of clan cultural heritage and local identity. Finding a balance between culture and urbanization requires specific protection measures. The researchers suggest starting from the three perspectives of architecture, culture, and phenomenological perception to ensure that the material and cultural heritage of the temple can be effectively preserved and continued.

1.

Sacred space protection from a phenomenological perspective

• Maintain the original spatial atmosphere: Maintain the sacredness and historical atmosphere in the ancestral hall by protecting light, sound, and materials, and avoid destroying the spatial experience by modernization.
• Protect religious and ritual functions: Regularly hold religious and ritual activities to ensure that the function of the ancestral hall as a sacred space is not weakened and avoid modern uses replacing its religious nature.
• Create emotional identity and collective memory: Strengthen the emotional value of the ancestral hall by recording and displaying collective memory and enhance the sense of belonging and local identity of clan members.

2.

Building protection measures

• Repair and structural reinforcement: Regularly evaluate the condition of the building and repair the damaged parts, especially the critical structures such as load-bearing walls and roof beams, to ensure the stability of the temple. Follow the principles of authenticity and integrity in the Venice Charter to maintain the original appearance of the building.
• Use traditional crafts and materials: During the restoration process, prioritize using traditional crafts and raw materials to ensure that the style and appearance of the temple after repair are consistent with history while inheriting traditional skills.
• Protection and daily maintenance: Take measures such as moisture-proofing, insect-proofing, and fire-proofing; set up a professional management team; regularly inspect and maintain the building; and extend its service life.

3.

Cultural protection measures

• Regular cultural activities and inheritance: Regularly hold traditional ancestor worship and clan activities to enhance the cultural identity of clan members and ensure that the ancestral hall continues to play its role as a cultural bond.
• Cultural inheritance education and digital protection: Cultural education projects enhance the younger generation’s understanding of the history and culture of the ancestral hall. Digital technology is used to record the ancestral hall fully and form a digital archive for future protection and dissemination.
• Policy support and community participation: The government should provide financial and technical support and encourage local communities to actively participate in the protection and management of the ancestral hall.

The Shike Ancestral Hall in En Village embodies the clan memory and clan belief in the context of Confucian culture. As sacred buildings, ancestral halls are not only physical entities in their communities but also symbols of cultural identity and sense of place. These buildings reflect the deep emotional connection of clan members or clan believers to history, tradition, and belief. Through analysis of the three elements of space theory, it can be seen that the perceived space (physical environment), the conceptual space (cultural significance), and the living space (daily activities) jointly shape the cultural value and sense of place of such sacred buildings. From a phenomenological perspective, sacred buildings are not just material existence but are endowed with deep cultural and religious significance through sensory experience, emotional connection, and collective memory. The spatial atmosphere, ritual activities, and collective emotional experience of the clan or community of the Shike Ancestral Hall jointly shape the sacredness of these buildings. This relationship with the building through perception, experience, and behavior makes these sacred buildings transcend physical existence and become an important place to maintain cultural identity and community belonging.