Kinmen: Ming Dynasty Old Street

August 15, 2013

I took a few days off that summer and brought Lisa and Belle back to Kinmen. We had no particular destination on our first afternoon, so we simply hopped on a scooter and wandered along the back roads…

A rural road and scenery along the way in Kinmen — We spent our first afternoon wandering Kinmen's back roads by scooter.

Besides the yellow cattle commonly seen around Kinmen, we came across goats—and even a handsome horse.

A yellow cow beside a road in Kinmen — One of Kinmen's familiar yellow cattle stood beside the road.

A goat or horse encountered in the Kinmen countryside — Goats were followed by the afternoon's biggest surprise: a horse.

A real horse @.@'"

We kept following the narrow road until an old city gate appeared ahead. Curiosity won, of course, and we turned in for a closer look…

A narrow Kinmen road leading toward an old city gate — Farther along the narrow road, an old city gate came into view.

Entrance to an old city gate in Kinmen — The old gate was more than enough reason to turn in and explore.

Good grief~~~ What is going on here—did we just stumble into a historical adventure show?

Historic streetscape seen beyond the old city gate — Beyond the gate, the scene felt like the opening of a historical adventure show.

Old houses and a lane along Ming Dynasty Old Street — Old buildings lined the quiet lane.

A corner and traditional buildings on Ming Dynasty Old Street — Every corner carried traces of old Kinmen.

Only after walking in did we learn its name: Ming Dynasty Old Street.

A streetscape or sign identifying Ming Dynasty Old Street — Here we finally learned the name of the place: Ming Dynasty Old Street.

Kinmen City was founded in 1388, during the Ming dynasty, initially as a military stronghold. As soldiers, their families, and other residents arrived, commerce began to grow. Once the space inside the walls became crowded, shops and homes spread outward along the main roads, forming a street beyond the north gate by the middle of the Ming dynasty.

In 1682, during the Qing dynasty, regional commander Chen Long moved the administrative center north to Houpu, in the area later known as Jincheng. Kinmen's political and commercial center shifted with it, and both the old city and the street outside its north gate gradually declined. [Source: Encyclopedia of Taiwan]

One especially distinctive Western-style house stands along the street: the Huang Tianyou Mansion.

Western-style portico and pediment of the Huang Tianyou Mansion — The distinctive Huang Tianyou Mansion stands along the old street.

Huang Tianyou went to Singapore to study medicine at the age of thirteen. He later returned to Kinmen with architectural plans, commissioned local craftsmen to build the house, and opened a Western pharmacy where he practiced medicine. Unlike most of Kinmen's Western-style residences, its entrance is set into the narrow end of the building. A portico and triangular pediment give the facade its unmistakably Western character. [Source: Bureau of Cultural Heritage]

Next we reached the Ming Dynasty Old Street Story House.

Exterior of the Ming Dynasty Old Street Story House — The Story House began as the Chen family's home and place of business.

The building was once home to the Chen family of Kinmen City. Their ancestors moved from Yongchun to Doumen in Kinmen, then settled here in the late Ming period because the local water was well suited to making tofu. In the early Republic era, the family lived and worked here, running a grocery business as well as oil and sugarcane shops. The property later became the Story House. [Source: Kinmen County Government]

Details of the Story House or the surrounding old street — The Story House and its surroundings preserve traces of everyday life from years past.

Traditional houses lining Ming Dynasty Old Street — Traditional houses stand one after another along the short street.

Weathered walls and architectural details on Ming Dynasty Old Street — Weathered walls give the old street its unmistakable sense of history.

The street is only a little over a hundred meters long, but it is steeped in history. One aimless afternoon ride had carried us straight into a fragment of old Kinmen.

This is exactly my kind of place ^.^