Liu's Double-Storey House Introduction
The Liu Residence in Shangfangliao, Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County is located at No. 238, Erliao, Xinpu Town. It was built in the 46th year of the Qianlong reign (1781) and was designated as a historical site of level three in the Taiwan-Fujian area in the 74th year of the Republic of China (1985). In the 20th year of the Qianlong reign (1755), Liu Ruige, the 11th ancestor of the Liu family, along with his wife, Zhan, and their three sons Liu Yanzhuan, Liu Yanjiao, and Liu Yanying, crossed the sea from Yangkang Township, Raoping County, Guangdong Province to Taiwan, initially residing in the area of Yan Shui Port (now the Xiangshan District of Hsinchu City). The eldest son, Liu Yanzhuan, styled Xuewu, established the family in Fangliao, building an ancestral hall in the form of a courtyard that mimicked their original hometown residence. Due to the division of the house into front and back halls, it was also called "Shuangtang House." At that time, the building had walls made of earth and a thatched roof, with only the front and back sections being more elaborate. In the 8th year of the Taisho era (1919), the Liu Residence was renovated under the supervision of Liu Fuqing, a descendant of the Liu family and a master craftsman. Three additional lateral wings were constructed, taking ten years to complete, resulting in the layout commonly referred to as "two halls and six wings," comprising a total of 99 rooms and covering an area of approximately 30,000 square meters. Compared to the "one hall and two wings" basic layout prevalent in Xinpu, the scale of the Liu Residence reflects the prosperous status of the Liu family. In the 72nd year of the Republic of China (1983), a large and magnificent family cemetery named "Ruige Garden" was built to honor Liu Ruige, who is revered by the Liu descendants as the founding ancestor (father of Liu Yanzhuan). The ancestral doctrine of the Liu family stated that those who settled in other places should not erect separate ancestral tablets for worship, so the Liu family's ancestral hall became the spiritual center uniting the entire family. It is designated that February 4th of the lunar calendar is the spring festival and August 2nd is the autumn festival for honoring ancestors. The architectural form of the Liu Residence features a symmetrical layout, with a central double hall and three lateral wings (Hulong) on each side, creating a "禾" shaped courtyard, showcasing the grandeur typical of乡绅 grandes residences. This type of development, characterized by multiple lateral wings, is often owned by agricultural landlords. To accommodate heavy agricultural work and ensure that there were enough people to live there without strict adherence to social etiquette, this layout configuration emerged. In the 73rd year of the Republic of China (1984), the outer lateral wing on the right side of the Liu Residence was renovated into a modern building, disrupting the overall sense of this traditional residence and resulting in an asymmetric layout. Overall, the Liu Residence in Xinpu remains a representative of local Hakka architecture and is also a typical example of medium-sized traditional residential architecture in contemporary times.
