Kinmen Trip—Chen Jing-lan Western House

April 3, 2011 — Chen Jing-lan Western House, Kinmen

Located in Chenggong Village, the Chen Jing-lan Western House was built in 1921 by Chen Jing-lan after he made his fortune doing business in Indonesia and Singapore. It is the largest Western-style mansion on Kinmen.

The building first served as a primary school. After 1949, it was used in succession as an army field hospital, a campus for Kinmen High School, and finally a recreation center for military personnel stationed on the island.

The entrance gateway and open courtyard gate of the Chen Jing-lan Western House — The entrance gate combines a formal gateway with traditional decorative details.

After living through Kinmen’s years of conflict, the house fell into neglect when military administration ended in 1992. It was later restored by the Kinmen County Government and opened to visitors. From the courtyard, the white arcades, balustrades, and rows of red lanterns make the old mansion especially striking.

The side arcades and red lanterns of the Chen Jing-lan Western House behind an old courtyard tree — An old courtyard tree and red lanterns frame the mansion’s white arcades.

Inside, exhibits trace the history of Kinmen’s overseas Chinese communities and the restoration of the house. Household objects, family records, and yellowed letters gradually piece together a story of leaving home to do business abroad, then returning to build a grand residence.

Artifact cases and historical panels inside the Chen Jing-lan Western House exhibition room — Display cases and illustrated panels introduce everyday life and overseas-Chinese history.

An exhibition room with family-history displays and traditional wooden tables and chairs — Family records and archival photographs surround a set of traditional wooden furniture.

Old identity documents, handwritten letters, and airmail displayed on an exhibition panel — Yellowed identity papers, letters, and airmail preserve traces of life overseas.

Upstairs, blue shuttered windows, wooden tables, and a long row of white arches overlap along the veranda. Step back indoors and another room appears, furnished in a traditional style and lined with historical displays.

The upstairs veranda of the Chen Jing-lan Western House with wooden furniture and blue shutters — Blue shutters and white arches extend along the upstairs veranda.

An interior room with brick flooring, wooden benches, and a central table — Brick floors and dark wooden furnishings preserve the quiet atmosphere of the old house.

After touring the house, we headed down the steps in front, passed through Jintang Park, and continued toward the coast. There, an abandoned military compound had been converted into a café.

Steps, an inscribed pillar, a statue, and the Chen Jing-lan Western House in Jintang Park — The steps of Jintang Park look back toward the mansion and its monument.

A wooden pergola walkway bordered by flower beds in Jintang Park — A wooden pergola leads through neat flower beds toward the coast.

The café occupied a wonderful spot facing Liaoluo Bay. Following the garden’s wooden pergola toward the building, the view soon opened out to the sea—what a view ^.^

The café’s wooden seaside deck with green umbrellas and outdoor seating — Visitors sit beneath green umbrellas on the café’s seaside deck.

A sloping lane and coastal vegetation leading toward the water of Liaoluo Bay — Beyond the lane beside the café, Liaoluo Bay opens out below the slope.

The grounds were beautifully maintained. The terrace, white buildings, and garden were simply arranged, but the whole place felt very comfortable. The adults could sit and enjoy the sea while the children had room to play; spending a lazy afternoon here would be no problem at all...