Chinese name: 西盛老街
Located at : Wanluan Township, Pingtung County
Xisheng Old Street, located in Wugoushui Community, Wanluan Township, Pingtung County, is a 300-year-old street. There are nearly 20 traditional Hakka courtyard houses located along this ancient street. It is also the first Hakka settlement in the country to be registered as a historical preservation site. The villages’ Bagong Temple (God of Earth Temple) and the water channel in the settlement are still in good shape. Red brick walls and gate towers can be seen everywhere, preserving the strong Hakka style.
As soon as you enter the old street,
you will see the most famous Liu Clan ancestral hall, which is the most
complete and largest Hakka ancestral hall in the county. It occupies a vast
area and is also representative of the traditional architecture in the Hakka
settlement. In 1864, the largest local family surnamed Liu built this house,
decorating it with gorgeous carvings and colorful glazed bricks. There is a small
river in front of the door, like a moat, and there are antique pavilions and
plazas on both sides. The descendants of the Liu ancestors still live here.
They regard the ancestral hall as the spiritual center of their clan, so it is
always kept in a clean and tidy state.
.jpg "Liu Clan ancestral hall")
(Photo: Hakka Public Communication Foundation)
Guan Hai Shan Fang (觀海山房)
is the earliest school in the Wugoushui area. It was built around 1920 by
members of the Liu family to cultivate local talent. The complex geometric
decorations in the Baroque style, and the bamboo and pumpkin images carved on
the stone walls make this building special. "Pumpkin" represents the
family’s wishes for many children and grandchildren because it has a lot of
seeds, and "bamboo" implies the high-mindedness of intellectuals. The
whole building style is simple and stable, integrating Chinese, Japanese and
Western elements, making it the most eye-catching building in the village.
Today's Guan Hai Shan Fang has been converted into a private residence for the
descendants of the Liu family.
(Photo: Wugoushui Workshop’s Facebook page)
Also located on Xisheng Old Street is
the "Chung Clan Courtyard House." Also known as "Hexing Huo Fang
(和興夥房)", it is a courtyard house with a history of more
than 100 years. Different from the construction of other houses in the
Wugoushui Hakka settlement, the Chung’s house has four doors on each side, and
the walls are decorated with colorful painted tiles. Although it is a simple
house, it is full of ingenuity and is the best-preserved traditional Hakka
house in the Wugoushui Hakka settlement.
(Photo: Wugoushui Workshop’s Facebook page)
The well-preserved old buildings on the old street enable visitors to feel a strong sense of history while walking in this Hakka village. In addition, there are also shops selling classic Hakka delicacies, including pickled dried radish, Hakka flat rice noodles, and the most famous dish here—Wanluan pork knuckle, allowing the gourmets to satisfy their taste buds on Xisheng Old Street.