"When it rains, water comes through the roofs," said the historian Chen. "When it rains hard, it comes under the door." The entire township, he explains, sits on a five-year flood plain.
The idea of fixing instead of replacing is best exemplified by Lungshan Temple, whose main hall was knocked down in the earthquake of September 1999. With a huge infusion of capital from Tsai Chi-jui (
"The original plan had it scheduled to be finished later this year," said Chen, who has co-authored a book on the temple. "Obviously it will take several more years to complete." Had the community decided to simply build a new temple to the same specifications, he explained, it would have been finished long ago.
But despite the pains of maintenance, most of Lukang's residents seem content to keep things the way they are ? for the most part.
Asked what he might like to change about his house, Gao's answer had nothing to do with the place itself. "There are too many tourists," he said. "It's very annoying to have people always looking in your house."
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