(In the past, during the Ching Ming Festival and chung yeung festival, villagers in the New Territories brought offerings to graveyards where their ancestors are buried. A white banner was placed in front of headstones, inviting the spirits of deceased ancestors to accept the worship of their descendants. Villagers also erected places of worship in the central hall at home during Chinese New Year and the birthdays and death days of their ancestors. They showed respect to their ancestors by bowing and praying in the direction of their soul tablets. ……)

至明代，朝廷逐步允許農村村民設廟進行祭祖及宗族活動，這不但有助凝聚農村宗族的力量，亦能穩定民心、聚合國力，而這種民間專門祭祀祖先的場所稱為「宗祠」。In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court gradually allowed villagers to build temples in order to engage in ancestral worship and clan activities. Not only did this foster a sense of unity within each clan, it also increased popular support for the court, which enhanced national strength. These temples, built specifically by the people for ancestral worship, are known as ancestral halls.