In May 2011 before I went to Guangzhou, a group of people called me up for feng shui meeting. After attending and listening to their request, then, I notice they are the committees of a Chinese Ancestral Hall (a branch of kinship who share the same surname and same root from China). Thet are the President, Vice President, Secretary and Tresurer who attended this meeting.

An ancestral hall (Chinese: 祠堂; pinyin: Cítáng or Chinese: 宗祠; pinyin: Zōng Cí) or lineage temple is a site of ancestor worship in Chinese culture. Ancestral halls are closely linked to Confucian culture and the emphasis that it places on filial piety.

A common central feature of the ancestral halls are the ancestral tablets that embody the ancestral spirits . The ancestral tablets are typically arranged by seniority of the ancestors. Altars and other ritual objects such as incense burners are also common fixtures.

The halls are used for collective rituals and festivals in honor of the ancestors but also for other family- and community-related functions such as weddings and funerals. They also sometimes serve for wider community functions such as meetings and local elections.

They listed down feng shui requests; and I spent 7 days to proceed after various feng shui factors consideration. The wish list is as below

1. to upgrade the social status of the clan and kinship of members of this ancestral hall.
2. to upgrade the financial status of the kinship as a whole community
3. to bring more devotees to the temple associated with this ancestral hall.
4. ……
5. ……

The revival of the ancestral halls has been particularly strong where lineage organization had stronger roots in the local culture and local communities are more likely to have members who can support rebuilding of the halls through donations.