Pingtung Folk Art Museum Introduction
Pingtung Folk Art Museum is located in Tienliao Lane, Pingtung City. Its predecessor is the Qiu family's old residence, "Zhongshidi," which was originally built in 1896 by Qiu Yuanshou, the son of Qiu Fengyang, a general of the Hakka militia during the anti-Japanese resistance. Later, Qiu Yuanshou and his son Qiu Qiushun operated the Taiwan Sugar Company, accumulating great wealth during their business ventures, which allowed them to renovate Zhongshidi in 1915, a project that took three years to complete. In 1991, due to the expansion of the campus for Zhongzheng Junior High School in Pingtung City, the Qiu family donated two ancient houses and their land to the school. One of the old residences was first demolished, and the land was planned for a sports field. In 1993, when the school was preparing to demolish Zhongshidi, local politicians, academics, and cultural workers fought hard to preserve it, resulting in the protection of the Qiu family old residence. In 1995, Zhongshidi was converted into the Pingtung Folk Art Museum and was later designated as a historical building in Pingtung County. The total area of the Pingtung Folk Art Museum is approximately 220 pings, and its exterior layout is in a "four-character shape." It is a traditional Hakka courtyard building with two halls and two cross halls, surrounding a central courtyard with a front hall entrance and a back hall main hall. The entrance hall is the most exquisite and grand part of the old house, featuring clay sculptures and paintings on the ridge, with a central screen door adorned with gold carvings. The eaves have decorative flower carvings, hanging tube carvings, bird-replacing carvings, and lion seat carvings. The left and right entrances have painted clay decorations, showcasing the remarkable wealth of the Qiu family at the time. Thus, the decorations of the Pingtung Folk Art Museum are quite elaborate, including stone carvings, wood carvings, pebble washes, paintings, Chaozhou ceramics, paper-cutting, and clay sculptures, all exhibiting exquisite artistic decorations. Additionally, the museum has preserved features such as the gate tower, cross alleys, ancestral hall, half loft area, courtyard, and corridors, all of which demonstrate that the folk art museum is a uniquely characteristic historical building.
