Kong Family Ancestral House Introduction
Proceeding along the elderly path in front of the Chen Family's old residence, take a right turn at the first fork, and you will soon discover another ancient building, the more intact and beautifully rustic old house known as the Gong Family Residence. About a hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Gong family, four brothers, moved from Dukou Village in Ligang Township, Pingtung County to settle in Qilao Village. The old residence is a horizontal courtyard structure, covering an area of 3.3 hectares with thirty interconnected rooms. In the center of the front courtyard is an altar dedicated to Guanyin, while the rear courtyard features a ancestral hall where the Gong family worships their ancestors. The beams and pillars of the Gong family building are made from "Fujian fir," which remains steadfast after a century. The walls are about 36 centimeters thick, made entirely of stone and lime mixture, without any cement used. The door and wall carvings depict auspicious motifs such as landscapes, dragons, phoenixes, qilins, and cranes, which have remarkably withstood the test of time. The walls beside the windows are carved into the shape of books, inscribed with poetry, and each panel features different content, with the calligraphy still clearly visible today. The floors of the front and back courtyards are paved with red bricks arranged in a diamond pattern to prevent cracking, showcasing the scientific aspects of the architecture.
