Tienshuei Hall | 天水堂
Located at No. 1 Zhongzheng Road, Beipu Township, Hsinchu County, Beipu Tienshuei Hall or “Jiang Wu (the Jiang Mansion)” was the house built by Jiang Hsiu-luan (姜秀鑾), the founding ancestor of the Da’ai area of Hsinchu County and was also the former residence of Jiang. As the Jiang clan’s county hall was in Tianshui County (in present day Gansu province’s Tianshui City), hence the house was named Tienshuei Hall. The building has been listed as a national monument.
Sitting in front of Xiuluan Mountain, Tienshuei Hall is structured as a three-building courtyard house. The gatehouse of Tienshuei has eaves that are shaped like swallows’ tails. The steps have a large surface. It’s known as one of the most beautiful gatehouses in Taiwan. Tienshuei Hall has been repaired and maintained by the Jiang family for more than 100 years without receiving any government subsidies. It is not easy to completely preserve its original features. There are still descendants of the Jiang family who live inside. It is a private house and is not open for visits.
Jin Guang Fu Hall | 金廣福
The Jin Guang Fu Hall was built in the 15th year of Qing Emperor Daoguang’s rule in 1835. It was a stronghold in the Da’ai area during the Qing Dynasty and was also the office of the Jin Guang Fu development company. The company was led and subsidized by government officials and was jointly formed by Minnan and Hakka people. The word “Jin,” which refers to gold in Chinese, was chosen for its auspicious meaning. “Guang,” on the other hand, stands for Guangdong province where the Hakka people were from, and "Fu" stood for Fujian province where the Minnan people came from.
In the early period of Han Chinese settlement in Taiwan when there was serious fighting between these two groups of settlers from mainland China, it was rare to see this unity. Therefore it set a good example for the cooperation between Taiwan’s Minnan and Guangdong people. This building is the only public hall in Taiwan that has survived to this day. Due to its historical significance and particularity, it was designated as a national monument by the Ministry of the Interior.
The architectural form of the Jin Guang Fu Hall is that of a Chinese courtyard house with two entrances and one courtyard. There is also an outer building on each side of the main buildings forming the courtyard. The right outer building was converted into a Japanese-style structure after the 1935 earthquake, while the left outer building still maintains the original architectural pattern of the Qing Dynasty. The neighboring Tienshuei Hall is the former residence of Jiang Hsiu-luan. It is now repaired and maintained by the Jiang family. There are still descendants of Jiang living there. In order to protect the precious cultural assets, the Jin Guang Fu plaque, which is hung in front of Jin Guang Fu Hall, is a replica; the original is kept separately by the descendants of the Beipu Jiang family.