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Sanxia
Walking along Sanxia's Old Street is like walking back to the good old days. The arched red brick hallways, the traditional architecture, the beams, columns and ancient wooden plaques, the squat maiden's walls and the figure carvings upon the buildings are all very unique. The Old Street is best preserved along Min-Chuan Street, Ho-Ping Street, Ren-Ai Street and Chung-Shan Street sections. Min-Chuan Street was Sanxia's commercial center in the past. All the stores and alleys here, dating back to the time of Japan's colonial occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945), are still in good condition.
Sections that jutted out from the walls of a building, and had different figures carved upon them, were called ountain walls. These sections were usually higher in the middle and flatter on both ends. The ornate figures upon the ountain walls had significance attached to them as well. For example, a vase symbolized wealth, while an octagon was used to ward off evil. Red brick was the main material used for the side of the buildings facing the street. Pebbles were less used. Cement was only used in recent years to renovate the interior walls of the buildings. Because the merchants who lived along Old Street were all well-to-do, the architectural styles and the building materials used were of the best quality. Many materials were imported, and some of the residents employed architects from as far as England. The beauty of these bulidings were enhanced by the protruding sections on the roof of the buildings and the numerous carved patterns under the windowsills on the second floor. Here is an interesting article to read:
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Sanxia
is a town about 30 kilometers southwest of Taipei City. Its Old Street
refers to the southern half of Min-Chuan Street in Taipei County. The
street is about 200 meters long. Its architecture dates back to the early
days of the 20th century.
During
the time of Sanxia's heyday, Old Street was lined with shops that sold
dyes, manufacturing materials and tea. The characters carved upon the
buildings showed the first and last names of the occupants, or their occupations,
or the names of the shops. The plaques hanging above the entrances of
the shops also had the names of the shops and their proprietors. This
was a much-used method of advertising in those days.