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Home/Countries/Taiwan/Landmarks & history/Shanhou Folk Culture Village

Shanhou Folk Culture Village

Eighteen Fujian-style houses on Kinmen built as a single planned settlement in the 1900s by a family who prospered in Japan.

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WhereKinmen
Nearest cityKinmen
Best seasonOctober to April
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereOn northeastern Kinmen, about 15 km from Jincheng
EntryFree

The Wang family made money trading in Japan and between 1900 and 1925 built an entire village at Shanhou for their relatives: sixteen residences, an ancestral hall and a school, all in southern Fujian style with swallowtail ridges, red brick, granite plinths and carved and painted detail, laid out on a grid as a single planned scheme. It survives complete, which is rare, and several buildings are open with displays on Kinmen life.

What you actually see

  • The swallowtail roofs - upturned ridge ends across the whole planned village.
  • The brick and granite - southern Fujian construction with carved stone plinths.
  • The ancestral hall - the family hall at the centre of the scheme.
  • The open houses - interiors with displays on Kinmen domestic life.

When to go

October to April is the most comfortable; summer on Kinmen is hot and humid. Weekdays are quiet. Kinmen is reached by air from Taiwan.

Honest expectations

Several houses are shops or closed. The village is small and two hours covers it. Kinmen requires a separate flight and a night at least.

Nearby

Jincheng is southwest, and the Kinmen coast is north.

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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