A Fujian ancestral hall generally has some elements in common.

The gatehouse is at the front and is normally identified by a plaque with the name of the hall, clan surname or lineage title. Some halls also have flagpoles or flagpole stones outside them, which are associated with scholarly achievements of the past. If a clan member became a juren, jinshi, or even got a higher imperial-examination rank, the family might erect these flagpoles as tokens of honor.

Visitors will find a courtyard after entering the hall where clan members congregate for clan affairs. The most solemn place of an ancestral hall is the main hall. This is where the ancestral spirit tablets, incense burners, offering tables and ritual objects are placed. The family members worship ancestors by placing offerings, burning incense, kneeling and kowtowing in the main hall.

The hall may also contain some plaques and couplets. The plaques bear the hall name, family teachings, or honors of ancestors such as jinshi or zhuangyuan. Couplets are often inscribed on columns. They refer to ancestral merit, family origins, scholarly tradition, loyalty, and moral conduct.

Another important component of a Fujian ancestral hall is the genealogy. It records ancestral lineage of the clan. Some halls also contain records of merit, donations and renovations, indicating which clan members contributed to clan activities like repairing of the hall, or updating of the genealogy.