Considering the old, dilapidated houses an eyesore, a previous county magistrate offered to help residents demolish them — even if only to leave the land as grassy fields. Many residents took him up on the offer.
But the uniqueness and beauty of the old coral homes have in recent years encouraged the local government to be more proactive about preserving them, as it tries to boost tourism.
One project has seen two rows of such homes in a village called Er Kan (二崁) in Siyu Township (西嶼鄉) restored. Though some say the result lacks authenticity, the area has become a tourist attraction, with some homes used as hotels, restaurants and shops.
Of the 2,000 homes found in the study, the cultural bureau has identified 33 as worth protecting due to the quality of construction and the state of preservation.
But efforts to persuade the owners to allow the homes to be placed on a list of historical structures have been met with protests. None have been listed so far.
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Last year, the local government obtained NT$2 million in funding from the Executive Yuan’s economic development committee for a program that asks fund recipients to pay one-third of the cost of restoring their home, with the remaining cost coming from the fund.
The bureau plans to apply for funding every year, but Penghu will have to compete with other parts of Taiwan.
So far, only one Penghu resident has applied for the money, Cuei said.
That person, Chen Yung-hsing (陳永興), a 53-year-old convenience store owner, bought a piece of land by the seaside to retire in and was originally planning to tear down the laogushi house on it to build a new one.
“But the more I looked at it, the prettier it seemed,” Chen said. “It seemed just like the house I lived in sometimes when I was young and visited my grandparents in the countryside. There’s no way you can build a home like that nowadays even if you had the money.”
His wife resisted at first, wanting a modern home, but when Chen told her about the government fund, she agreed.
“Few people feel these homes are worth keeping … but we should protect them,” Chen said. “Otherwise, a lot of history will be gone. We won’t know the older generations’ hardships, their wisdom in building these homes and their way of life.”
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