Erkan Village

Erkan was settled by the Chen family in the seventeenth century and rebuilt in the early twentieth with money sent back from Taiwan and abroad, which is why a village of fifty or so houses on a windswept island has the elaborate courtyard compounds it does. The walls are built from coral limestone and basalt, the standard Penghu materials, and the village is preserved as a heritage settlement with some houses open and craft and herbal tea sold in others.

What you actually see

• The coral-stone walls - houses built from cut coral limestone and basalt.
• The courtyard compounds - traditional plans with decorative gables and screens.
• The open houses - several interiors furnished and open to walk through.
• The herbal tea - a Penghu speciality sold by residents in the village.

When to go

April to October is the season; winter northeast wind is severe on Penghu. Weekday mornings are quietest. Summer is hot with little shade.

Honest expectations

Several houses are shops and the village leans commercial. Some buildings are closed and deteriorating. Penghu's winter wind makes the islands difficult from November to March.

Nearby

The Xiyu fort and lighthouse are south, and Magong is east across the bridges.