Pingtung Folk Arts Museum Introduction
Pingtung Folk Arts Museum is located on Tianliao Lane in Pingtung City. Its predecessor was the "Zhongshidi" built by Qiu Yuanshou, the son of Qiu Fengyang, a major general of the Hakka militia against the Japanese during the Six Stacks campaign, originally constructed in 1896. Later, Qiu Yuanshou and his son Qiu Qiushun operated the "Taiwan Sugar Manufacturing Company," accumulating immense wealth during their business period, allowing them to renovate Zhongshidi in 1915, which took three years to complete. In 1991, due to the expansion of the school grounds of Zhongzheng Junior High School in Pingtung City, the Qiu family gifted two ancient houses and their land to the school. One of the ancient buildings was first demolished, and the land was planned to become a sports field. In 1993, when the school was preparing to demolish Zhongshidi, with strong support from local political, academic figures and cultural historians, the Qiu family residence was preserved. In 1995, Zhongshidi was transformed into the Pingtung Folk Arts Museum and was later designated as a historical building in Pingtung County. The total area of the Pingtung Folk Arts Museum is approximately 220 ping, and its exterior layout is in a "four-character" shape, consisting of a traditional Hakka siheyuan building with two halls and two wings, centered around a courtyard surrounded by a first entry front hall and a second entry rear hall corridor. The front hall is the most magnificent part of the ancient residence, featuring clay sculptures and paintings on the ridge in the shape of water, a central screen door adorned with gold decoration, and the eaves decorated with hanging flower carvings, suspended tubes, bird rest carvings, and lion seat carvings. The left and right porch corridors are adorned with clay sculptures and paintings. These intricate decorations exemplify the extraordinary status of the Qiu family during that time. Thus, the decorations of the Pingtung Folk Arts Museum are quite rich, showcasing exquisite artistic embellishments such as stone carvings, wood carvings, pebble wash, paintings, Kuo-Ji ceramics, paper-cutting, and clay sculptures. In addition, it retains the gate tower, cross alley, ancestral hall, half-floor, courtyard, and corridor, all indicating that the Folk Arts Museum is a uniquely featured historical building.
