New Tile House Hakka Cultural District


New Tile House Hakka Cultural District

Chinese name: 新瓦屋客家文化保存區

Location: Zhubei City, Hsinchu County

The New Tile House was originally established in 1805 when Sun Tan-gong (孫檀公), ancestor of the Lin family, followed Lin Sun-zhang (林孫漳) and Lin Xian-kun (林先坤), who were the ancestors of the Lin family of Liuzhangli (old name of Zhubei), to migrate to Taiwan during the reign of Jiaqing Emperor (1796~1820). Sun settled in northern Hsinchu and started developing the region. As the settlement was established later than that of the Liuzhangli Lin Family (六張犁林家), it is given the name New Tile House.

New Tile House Hakka Cultural District
Wall surrounded the community .

The New Tile House was an exclusive village surrounded by walls to separate the community from outside. The entrance gate is inscribed with “Xi He Shi Di (西河世第),” which refers to the shrine title of the Lin family. Among the old houses inside the wall, the Zhongxiao Shrine (忠孝堂) is the center of the community.

The New Tile House is a treasure of Hakka culture that embodies lifestyle and customs of the Hakka. Though the Lin family had moved out from the New Tile House years ago, they still visit the Zhongxiao Shrine to worship their ancestors regularly. Today, the community is not only a venue that brings together offspring of the Lin family but the most significant settlement that preserves Hakka culture in the region. 

Restored paddy field.
Restored paddy field. 

The New Tile House was listed by the High Speed Rail Hsinchu Station Project as one of the project’s zones for land use. After local cultural workers and Hakka preservationists’ efforts toward preservation, the Hakka Affairs Council coordinated with the local government, and designated the community as the nation’s first Hakka cultural preservation area. In addition, the Council has conducted a recreation project of paddy field to preserve the farming history of the Lin family.