The Mai Clan Ancestral Hall in Lianxi Village rests on foundations that physically rise as you walk deeper into the complex. This architectural choice—a traditional Lingnan layout of three halls and two courtyards—requires visitors to step upward as they move from the front door to the offering hall, and finally to the sleeping hall. The ascending floors symbolize the clan’s enduring desire for social and political elevation. Above, "dragon boat" roof ridges carry heavy ornamentation, featuring mythological aoyu figures and gray-plastic sculptures. Below, massive Kundian wood pillars imported from Myanmar support the structure. Ranging up to sixty centimeters in diameter, these termite-resistant columns have held the roof aloft for centuries without decaying.

The physical weight of the building matches its deep historical roots. The site has served as a gathering place for roughly 900 years, originally established to honor Mai Bida. In 1273, he led his family to Huangge to escape the political fallout of the Zhuji Lane "Consort Hu" incident. Over the centuries, the clan rebuilt the shrine nine times through the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the current structure dating primarily to a major reconstruction in 1897.

The twentieth century brought sweeping changes to the hall's function. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the government converted the ancestral shrine into a state granary. By the 1990s, the Lianxi Village committee had moved its offices into the space. The property finally returned to the Mai clan in 2000, and a comprehensive restoration in 2020 sharpened the faded wood and brick carvings back to their original clarity. Today, the building forms a massive, continuous architectural block alongside the neighboring Jizong, Ruihui, and Ziping public halls. Together, they anchor the community, offering a quiet, enduring space where the village's past remains physically present.