A trip to Penghu is like a trip back in time

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on May 12, 2006. It features the Penghu archipelago, which is located in the Taiwan Strait, in Taiwan's southwest.

The history of Penghu can be dated back to the Yuan Dynasty, which established a patrol station on the archipelago. Today, Penghu boasts a large number of cultural artifacts and relics. Among the most well known are the Matsu Temple, which is a Level One historic relic located in Penghu's main city of Magong.

Meanwhile, the Chungyang Street is the oldest and most vibrant street in Magong. Chungyang Street was originally called Taching Street. It was a prosperous and bustling street in mid-17th century. However, as time went by, the glory of Chungyang Street gradually faded as people and shops moved out. It was only during the recent decades that the street has undergone renovation and attracted more and more shops to open in the area.

The best known shop on Chungyang Street is the Chienyitang Chinese Medicine Shop. The pharmacy is housed in a Western-styled building that features a Baroque architectural style. The building has been standing on the street for more than 80 years. The counter and medicine cabinets inside the pharmacy are all made in traditional Chinese styles. Apart from traditional Chinese medicine, the pharmacy also sells a medicine egg that has been simmered in a number of Chinese herbal medicines and seasonings.

At the end of Chungyang Street is a store called Chutao Yishih, which sells artistic items. The store promotes artistic works created by local artist Chen Fu-chi, who makes use of driftwood. It also sells colorful T-shirts that feature the store owner's own designs.

The Matsu Temple in Magong is also known as the Tianhou Gong (Heavenly Mother's Temple). Because its history dates back over 400 years, it is said to be the oldest temple dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea in all of Taiwan. In the past, residents of Penghu relied on fishing for their livelihood and believed that Matsu would protect the fishermen. Today, the Matsu Temple features all kinds of intricate wood carvings on its pillars, window railings and doors.

Situated in the vicinity of the Matsu Temple is the Four Eye Well, which is the oldest known well in Magong. While it is impossible to authenticate when the well was first created, research by historians indicates that residents who lived around the Matsu Temple were already using the well for water when the temple was first built. This means that the history of the well could be dated back even further than that of the 400-year-old Matsu Temple. According to local residents, the Four Eye Well was so named because it offers four places to draw water. More significantly, one can often see goldfish swimming around in the water. Local residents believe that as long as the goldfish are healthy and swimming, the safety of the water from the well can be guaranteed.

Finaly, the Penghu Reclamation Hall used to be the residence of the magistrate. The museum now provides an introduction to various historical artifacts that demonstrate the past 100 years of the development of Penghu. The building itself was established during the Japanese colonial occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945). Specifically, it was built in the 10th year of the Japanese Showa emperor, or 1935. The building features a mixture of Eastern and Western architectural styles, such as European bay windows and Japanese sliding doors. An 100-year-old banyan tree grows in the sizeable garden outside.