In society at that time, if the families of high officials or wealthy families had a widow or spinster, to avoid any problems that might arise from having a single woman around they would often invest in building a nunnery as a home for the women of the family in old age and also provide shelter to other females in a similar situation.
在當時，社會主流的官宦或富商家中有寡婦或是年長未婚的女性，為了避免多生事端，就會出資興建齋堂，供家族的女性養老安居，同時也收容社會上相同處境的弱勢女性，一如古代中國皇帝駕崩之後，眾嬪妃就削髮為尼一般。