Qinbi Village

{Trip} Taiwan Travel -- MATSU Islands, BEIGAN and NANGAN/馬祖北竿南竿

This is a video of our trip to the Matsu islands in the summer of 2012. Hope you get an idea of what it's like to travel to this lesser known area of Taiwan.

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More info about Matsu:

Matsu National Scenic Area website


Tai-Ma Ferry website (Chinese)


We stayed at:
Chinbe No. 25 Guesthouse (芹壁村25號)
Add: 25, Qinbi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉芹壁村25號)
Tel: 08365-56280/0975-421-178
Website:

We ate at:
Da Zhong Restaurant (大眾飲食店)
Add: 80, Matsu Village, Nangan Township (南竿鄉馬祖村80號)
Tel: 0836-22185

A-Po Fish Noodle (阿婆魚麵)
Add: 168, Tangqi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉塘岐村168號)
Tel: 0836-56359

We bought souvenirs at:
Xie He Foods (Master Fa) (協和食品行 [發師傅])
Add: 229, Tangqi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉塘岐村229號)
Tel: 0836-55236/0933-095-034
Website: 083655236.com.tw (Chinese)

Matsu Specialty Center (台灣菸酒海產金銀買賣店)
Add: 233, Tangqi Village, Beigan Township (北竿鄉塘岐村233號)
Tel: 0836-55412

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Also watch the latest video on this channel: {Trip} LALASHAN on the Northern Cross-Island Highway (北橫拉拉山)
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Qinbi Village: “A Mediterranean Town on the Taiwan Straits (Matsu Islands, Taiwan)

The village of Qinbi Village / 芹壁村 is also known as “A Mediterranean town on the Taiwan Straits” or as Jingao or “mirror harbor” - a name derived from the crystal-clear waters of its bordering sea. The present name means “rice pile wall” because from Turtle Island just offshore, it resembles a pile of rice against the mountain slope behind it. Qinbi has the best-preserved eastern Fujian-style buildings in all of the Matsu Islands / 馬祖群島 / 马祖列岛 and it is much favoured by local and foreign architectural, cultural, and artistic circles. It was originally developed in the late Qing Dynasty by family named Chen from Fujian Province. The granite houses are stepped up the steep mountain, one orderly level above another.

The finest workmanship is seen in a house built during World War II by the director of the Beigan unit of the Peace and National Salvation Army, a man named Chen Zhong-ping. Today, it is called “Pirate’s House.” In early times the villagers lived by catching and processing dried baby shrimp.

When the local fishery declined in the 1980s most of them moved away to greener pastures and Qinbi deteriorated. In 1997 the idea of preserving the village took hold, and the closely packed houses were restored one after another. Today the old mountainside village, together with the neighboring sea and Turtle Island, exudes a pleasant classic beauty that makes it Matsu’s foremost tourist attraction.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落1/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

民國六十年代之後,由於漁業逐年蕭條,人口外流,近乎空城,但卻也因此，讓芹壁村成為唯一完整保存,尚未被現代建築破壞的傳統閩東聚落.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落8/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

村落背山面海,主要分成北面山,南面山,中路等區,清末時期為福建長樂鶴上陳氏家族開發,屋舍為花崗石建築,依山勢呈階梯狀排列,層層相疊,錯落有致.其間工法最細緻的一棟民宅,為抗戰時期「和平救國軍」北竿部隊主任陳忠平所築建的「海盜屋」.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落4/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

芹壁名稱源自於村落澳口前有一突起的岩礁,因狀似一隻大海龜,居民稱它為「芹囝」,岩礁的四周海水清澈見底如鏡,因而稱為「鏡港」.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落7/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

原本因人口外移出現的空屋群,在政府的修繕下,再次改建為民宿以及藝文空間等,讓芹壁呈現出多樣化的風貌,房屋上突兀的裝飾標語,更讓兩岸三地的大眾遊客們,不由得會心一笑.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落2/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

民國九十年代「聚落保存」觀念在馬祖萌芽,民間與政府都認為芹壁極具保存與修復價值.隨著藝術家一波波進駐,商業廣告和電影也來此取景,芹壁特有的閩東風情漸漸為國人熟悉.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落3/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

芹壁,號稱「馬祖地中海」,舊名「鏡港」,又稱「鏡澳」.

馬祖北竿芹壁聚落6/8 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

芹壁是馬祖閩東建築最具代表性的聚落,保存極為完整,深受國內外建築,文化和藝術界的青睞.

馬祖北竿芹壁村5/7標語 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

靠著捕蝦,曬蝦皮繁華的芹壁村,隨著時空的變遷而沒落,經過整修後,於2001年風華再現.

馬祖北竿芹壁村1/7 龜島 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

芹壁村北面澳口中央有一突起的花崗岩礁石,島之形成節理奇特,望之酷似一巨龜靜臥在碧波間,居民謂之為「龜島」.

馬祖北竿離開坂里村往芹壁聚落 To Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

位在北竿島西北面的芹壁村,向面大陸,早年由於豐沛的漁業資源造就了村落富裕景象,聚落建築依山傍水而建,外牆以當地花崗石為主,遠遠望去猶如海上石城.

馬祖南竿牛角聚落2/16老街 Niujiao Village, Nangan Matsu (Taiwan)

馬祖的民居群聚都是依著「澳口」地形而形成,「一村一澳口」是馬祖多數聚落的面貌,牛角社區正是體現此一特色的聚落.

馬祖南竿離開天后宮往枕戈待旦紀念公園 To Zhenge Daidan Memorial Park, Nangan Matsu (Taiwan)

2009年3月,馬祖籍畫家及登山家李小石,帶著媽祖金身爬上喜馬拉雅山,讓祂成為第一尊登上聖母峰的神明.該金身現在正供奉在馬祖境天后宮,供信眾參拜.

Qinbi Village / 芹壁村: “A Mediterranean Town on the Taiwan Straits

The village of Qinbi Village / 芹壁村 is also known as “A Mediterranean town on the Taiwan Straits” or as Jingao or “mirror harbor” - a name derived from the crystal-clear waters of its bordering sea. The present name means “rice pile wall” because from Turtle Island just offshore, it resembles a pile of rice against the mountain slope behind it. Qinbi has the best-preserved eastern Fujian-style buildings in all of the Matsu Islands / 馬祖群島 / 马祖列岛 and it is much favoured by local and foreign architectural, cultural, and artistic circles. It was originally developed in the late Qing Dynasty by family named Chen from Fujian Province. The granite houses are stepped up the steep mountain, one orderly level above another.

The finest workmanship is seen in a house built during World War II by the director of the Beigan unit of the Peace and National Salvation Army, a man named Chen Zhong-ping. Today, it is called “Pirate’s House.” In early times the villagers lived by catching and processing dried baby shrimp.

When the local fishery declined in the 1980s most of them moved away to greener pastures and Qinbi deteriorated. In 1997 the idea of preserving the village took hold, and the closely packed houses were restored one after another. Today the old mountainside village, together with the neighboring sea and Turtle Island, exudes a pleasant classic beauty that makes it Matsu’s foremost tourist attraction.

馬祖北竿芹壁村2/7樣板屋 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

櫛比鱗次的古宅群順著山勢羅列成梯形,每戶之間都能擁有絕佳的風景,採用花崗石等火成石為建材興建而成,青白,黃褐,磚紅等色澤堆切而成的美麗石板屋,是芹壁村的代表特色,也是閩北建築的古樸傑作.

馬祖北竿芹壁村6/7天后宮 Qinbi village, Beigan Matsu (Taiwan)

芹壁村獨立雄踞在海岸邊,離北竿市區有段距離,走在芹壁村,驚豔於它的美,尤其在黃昏時,欣賞海景,聽濤聲,並欣賞一幢幢的石屋,非常浪漫.

Visiting Beigan Island (Matsu Islands / 馬祖群島 / 马祖列岛)

Beigan Township / 北竿鄉 is one of the five major islands of the Matsu Islands / 馬祖群島 / 马祖列岛 ( The main places I visited there included:

- Banli / Banli Beach - The Beihai Tunnel of Beigan was closed though - maybe due to the tide? The tunnel is 550 meters long and 9–15 meters wide and visitors are able to ride canoe along the tunnel.
- War and Peace Memorial Park Exhibition Center
- War and Peace Memorial Park - Encompasses Strongholds 06, 08, and 12 and covers a total of 38.8 hectares. The completion of Stronghold 08 provided Taiwan’s first prototype for such a park. Stronghold 08 focuses on the display of weapons, at the same time using space in an old barracks to exhibit military equipment.
- Houao Village - Receding waters at low tide leave a bare expanse of beach four or five hectares in area. A bridge now connects Houao with Tangci, where in olden days people moving between the two villages when the tide was up had to wade through water.
- Qinbi Village - The village of Qinbi is also known as “A Mediterranean town on the Taiwan Straits.” Yet another name for the village is Jingao, or “mirror harbor,” derived from the crystal-clear waters of its bordering sea. The present name means “rice pile wall,” because from Turtle Island just offshore it resembles a pile of rice against the mountain slope behind it. Qinbi has the best-preserved eastern Fujian-style buildings in all of Matsu.