The famous Fanjiang's Old Houses in Xinwu consist of five old houses with simple Hakka characteristics. Each house is a sanheyuan, with structures on three sides of a courtyard and surrounded by brick walls, making the overall architecture shaped like a square.
The No. 9 house of the Fanjiang's Old Houses has been designated as the municipal historic site "Fanjiang Ancestral Hall". The plaque with the Jiaozhi ceramic wordings "Tao Wei Liu Fang" on its door frame, as well as the incense burner and ceramic jar in the ancestral hall, are all precious cultural artifacts. The painted door walls, wooden carvings, brick carvings, and other decorations are all eye-catching, too. The No. 6 house with the plaque wordings "Tao Wei Gao Feng" on it has book scroll window decorations, white walls, and stone carvings in the front yard, creating a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere. The most distinctive decoration belongs to the No. 3 house, with exquisite carving patterns on the ridge, eaves, and both sides of the main door. Next to it, the No. 2 house combines white walls, red bricks, and washed pebble door walls, representing a mixed architectural style. The No. 1 house, constructed with red bricks, has swallow-tail ridges that evoke memories of past glory, as if time had come to a standstill here.
The ancestral hall holds grand ceremonies on the 5th day of the 4th lunar month and on the 1st day of the 8th lunar month every year, which are the most significant gatherings and ritual activities. The Fanjiang's Old Houses fully showcase the characteristics of traditional Hakka courtyard houses, making them an excellent attraction for tourists who love to explore historical sites and take great photos. The Zuoheng Houses were restored in 2021, and with the theme "The Heng House", six revitalization zones were planned, including the Eight Sounds Academy, Reading Aloud Time, Art Learning Classroom, Little Art Gallery, Cultural Tea House, and Lifestyle Bookstore.
Among the six major zones, the Eight Sounds Academy takes the leading role in showcasing various traditional musical instruments for the public to experience, allowing everyone to try out the instruments often seen and heard at temple ceremonies. In addition, the Fanjiang family is full of talented individuals, many of whom are calligraphers and painters. Contemporary artist Fanjiang Ming-Hua's oil paintings are exhibited in the Little Art Gallery, where visitors can feel the lively and vivid local culture and customs through the themes of shadow puppetry. Furthermore, the Cultural Tea House makes drinking tea in the old house a new taste for hipsters, while the open-style Lifestyle Bookstore allows parents and their children to enjoy reading together more easily. The Reading Aloud Time and Art Learning Classroom bring visitors closer to the historical sites.
■ No loud voices or noise; pets are not allowed inside. ■ For reservations and guided tours of the ancestral hall, please call 03-4777343. ■ Only the ancestral hall is open to the public; other old houses are still inhabited. Please do not enter during your visit.
