The materials used in the construction of the ancient city wall are primarily sourced from coral reefs. The stones are closely fitted together to form a solid and robust gate for the ancient town. This is because, in the past, the local terrain was composed of coral reefs. Hence, this natural and local material was utilized as the main building material. In front of the gate on this side of the ancient town lies the famous Lotus Pond. In the past, lotus flowers were planted around this large pond. Additionally, nowadays, one can observe many people engaging in various water activities in the Lotus Pond, such as thrilling water skiing.

Outside the North Gate, you can see both sides embossed with gray Door Gods. Although there have been serious abrasions, when you come up next to the Door Gods, you can still see the exquisite patterns of their apparel. The Door Gods on the right side is Shengtu, and that on the left side is Yulei. The setting is related to the geography near the North Gate. In the past, the shops outside the North Gate where were cemeteries and execution grounds were. Since the north is considered an unlucky place in Feng Shui, Door Gods were specially carved on the outer walls in order to ward off evil spirits and prevent disasters.those would have to be imported from China. The same happened with timber since sawmills were unavailable. Even well into the Japanese era, timber was still imported since the best Taiwanese cypress and other trees were exclusively reserved for the Japanese market. The only locally procured materials were clay bricks, coral limestone, and lime. As for the people who built them, masters and craftsmen were also from China, and that’s why these houses display a traditional southern Chinese style.

After a crash course on old mansions, I came to realize where to look and how to make educated guesses when visiting. Building techniques and materials reveal a lot about the time in which they were constructed. Some of them date back to the Ching dynasty while others to the Japanese era, but all of them feature Chinese traditional architecture. Since there were no kilns to fire bricks and roof tiles, all of
those would have to be imported from China. The same happened with timber since sawmills were unavailable. Even well into the Japanese era, timber was still imported since the best Taiwanese cypress and other trees were exclusively reserved for the Japanese market. The only locally procured materials were clay bricks, coral limestone, and lime. As for the people who built them, masters and craftsmen were also from China, and that’s why these houses display a traditional southern Chinese style.

One day walking down the mountain trails to gather herbal medicine, he met up with a panting and almost dead tiger. Being merciful even towards animals, he approached the beast offering his help. After checking, he found the problem in its throat and reached out with his arm to remove a hair pin from very deep inside. At once, the tiger was relieved from the agony of being chocked to death, and confessed that he had just devoured a lady on her way downhills. The doctor made the beast promise not to ever do that again and befriended this fearful but gallant patient from the wild.