Cheng's Old House in Tianxi, Gongsi Introduction
The Cheng family ancestral home located in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, is a well-preserved historical traditional building that showcases the characteristics and cultural atmosphere of Minnan architecture in Tamsui over the past century. The development of the area around Gongsi Tianxi can be traced back to the Dutch era, and the Cheng family ancestral home is one of the few remaining agricultural residences in the region. Surrounded by bamboo and reeds with a flowing canal nearby, it exemplifies the traditional three-part courtyard style of agricultural society and is well-preserved, witnessing the history of development in the Tamsui area. In the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Cheng Yao Shi settled in Taiwan from Jinjiang County, becoming the ancestor of the Tamsui Cheng family’s colonial business. The exact date of construction is unknown, but scholars believe it was built before the Sino-French War in 1884. During the Battle of Huwei in the Sino-French War, Qing troops were stationed here and successfully defeated the French army. The residence is a typical three-part courtyard farmhouse, surrounded by bamboo and reeds with a flowing canal, representing the model of traditional agricultural homes in the area. The five-room structure features a double dragon style roof, with the ridgeline utilizing a golden horse back style. The walls are built with locally produced andesite and adobe bricks, featuring defensive gun holes in the central section (to fend off bandits at the time) and exterior mountain walls with tile shirts (to protect the adobe bricks from rain), which are rare in similar buildings in the Tamsui area, fully demonstrating the beauty of ancient architecture and the wisdom of our predecessors.
