Penghu - Hsiyu Island - Erkan Village

Remnants of the Ming & Qing Dynasty

The Penghu Islands were a strategic military point in the old days, and many used them as a stepping-off point for everything from piracy to overthrowing the Chinese government. When the Qing came into power, many Ming supporters fled to Taiwan to regroup and figure out how to revive the Ming empire. That never came into fruition, but many Ming/Qing Dynasty descendants still live here on Hsiyu Island today. Many of the houses are a mixture of many different styles, a physical history of the many peoples who inhabited these islands - Dutch, Japanese, Chinese - all refurbished and absolutely beautiful.

A view from the outskirts of the village.

An "Erkaner's" yard

Erkan hut

A woodshed.

A sign indicating the historical significance of
Erkan.

Many of these artifacts decorate the buildings
around the village.

A buddha carved from coral.

Another yard, with Chinese-style lawn ornaments
(no pink flamingos here!)

Erkan (Qing Dynasty?) style door. Notice the
handles. I think the statue is the god who
grabs evil spirits.

A view into courtyard of the southern
Fujian/Western/Japanese style housing.

A 100+ year old kitchen cabinet.

Post box

Beautiful details on the doors

All the houses had these awesome
shapes, which made the inside of the buildings
seem much roomier because of the added height.

Wells that are still being used

Doing the dishes in the yard.

A "fake" window filled with beaded artwork.

The doorway to the "most" renovated Erkan house.
It's interesting that they have a clock - definitely
not very Chinese.

A view back from that same doorway.

I forget what this thing is, but it sure looks nice and old.

An old kitchen stove.

These hundred-year-old frescoes are still incredibly vibrant.

An old bedroom. I used a flash so that you can see
what it looked like, but in reality, the rooms are dark as
night as there are no windows.

Aren't the colours absolutely gorgeous?

An old bathroom. This sink could be used inside
or out!

The not-so-ancient towels hanging to dry!

Mom in the village. Notice the narrow alleys.

The old villagers hanging out in the streets,
just chillin'! We couldn't understand a word
they said.

A driftwood sculpture. Notice the added "buoys"
and their creative placement.

A "Buddha-Head" Fruit tree (cause it looks
like a Buddha's head). In English, it's technically a
custard apple.

Mmm... papayas!