The Fan-Jiang Historic Compound is located in Xinsheng Village, Xinwu District. It was built incrementally by the Fan-Jiang clan who crossed to Taiwan during the Daoguang era of the Qing dynasty. Of the five surviving historic houses, the Fan-Jiang Ancestral Hall is the largest, adopting the traditional two-entry one-drop (liangjianyiluo) layout and listed as a Taoyuan City third-grade designated historic site. The very place name Xinwu (literally "new house") originates from the historical event of the Fan-Jiang clan "building a new house" here. The compound preserves intact both the spatial form of traditional Hakka courtyard architecture and the spatial relationships of a clan settlement.
What to See at Fan-Jiang Ancestral Hall
The Fan-Jiang clan settled in the Xinwu area after crossing to Taiwan during the Qing dynasty, making their living through agricultural pioneering and gradually accumulating the means to build a courtyard compound. The ancestral hall adopts the two-entry one-drop layout with a threshing ground (hediting, a sun-drying courtyard) in front. The main structure uses a mix of rammed earth brick and red brick. The upturned swallow-tail ridge is a distinctive identifying feature of traditional Minnan-Hakka architecture. The building decoration retains Hakka folk painting, clay sculpture, and wood carving, with themes predominantly featuring auspicious motifs and historical narratives.
The five historic houses are closely connected in space, reflecting the traditional logic of clan co-residence settlement patterns. Some buildings are still occupied or used by Fan-Jiang descendants; overall maintenance is shared between the descendants and the local government. Xinwu District is an important distribution zone for coastal Hakka settlements in Taoyuan. The Fan-Jiang Historic Compound is tangible architectural evidence for understanding the pioneering journey of Hakka migrants in Taoyuan, and one of the more formally complete examples of preserved courtyard house architecture in Taiwan.
How to Make the Most of Your Visit
Practical Information
Getting There & Time
- Drive from Provincial Highway 1 or Expressway 61 into Xinwu District; use navigation to locate the Fan-Jiang Historic Compound in Xinsheng Village. Roadside parking is limited.
- Public transport connections are limited; Taoyuan Bus has some routes to Xinwu, but check the timetable before departing. The outdoor compound space is open all day.
Nearby Connections
- Xinwu District's coastline features a stone weir (shíhù) landscape, and a combined itinerary of historic house culture and coastal terrain is feasible.
- Extend to Guanyin District's lotus farming area or Caotuo Sand Dune to create a Taoyuan coastal Hakka agricultural landscape route.
Sources: Bureau of Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, historic site data; Xinwu District Office local historical and cultural materials. Photos pending replacement with Dio's own shots.