Chengkuangao Cultural Landscape (Guanghengfa Ruins) Introduction
On the Taiwan Provincial Highway 11 along the eastern coast in Chenggong Township, Taitung County, there is a cultural heritage site called "Chengguangao Cultural Landscape" Park. It was originally the site of the "Guanghengfa Firm," which was the largest trading firm in eastern Taiwan. The architectural style features a Baroque-style three-arch gate and a brick-arch "Tingzai-jiao" structure, all built with stone, demonstrating the significant financial power held by the Wen family at that time. Chengguangao, also known as Xiaogang, is a natural deep-water harbor that has been a docking spot for Junks for a long time. Early Han Chinese came here to do business, and due to the presence of people from the Hong Kong and Macau regions, this harbor was referred to as "Aozi." The shape of the bay, resembling a crab's pincers, also contributed to its name "Xun Guangao," with the Sanxiantai visible in the distance. Chengguangao was an important base for early Han settlers on the eastern coast. Wen Taikun, a Hakka from Neipu, Pingtung, established the "Guanghengfa Firm" after coming to Chengguangao, making it the largest grocery store along the Huadong coastal line at that time, selling daily necessities like rice and salt, and utilizing the harbor's advantage to transport goods directly from the west to the hinterland. The expansion project of the eastern coast highway led to the destruction of the northern gate, leaving only the facade of the Baroque-style firm and the Tingzai-jiao still clearly discernible, with about one-third of the ruins obscured by wild vegetation. Today, the establishment of the "Chengguangao Cultural Landscape" serves as a testament to the history of Han Chinese land reclamation and development along the eastern coast.
