De Xing Residence (Oli Cultural Cafe) Introduction
De Xing Ju, built in 1926, is a street house in the style of a Western mansion, exhibiting Baroque-style red brick architecture. Its column heads are simplified Greek-style columns, and the intricate decorations incorporate traditional wooden forms. Floral motifs and auspicious symbols are treated with a blend of Chinese and Western styles. The decorative colorful ceramic tiles are rich in variety, and the materials used for the facade and interior are particularly exquisite, unmatched at that time. De Xing Ju, located on the old street of Shenkeng, was operated by Huang De Long, a descendant of Huang Chong Shu, who ran a grocery store and coal mine. It is said that Huang De Long dreamt of Lü Dongbin at the Zhinan Temple, who directed him to venture to Jiufen to mine for gold, which led to his fortune, making him one of the wealthy figures in Shenkeng Street. As a return gesture, he donated to build the Fude Temple and Seven Stars Pond at Zhinan Temple. In the first year of the Showa era (1926), he constructed a three-story Western-style street house named De Xing Ju, which became the most luxurious mansion on Shenkeng Street during the Japanese colonial period and is now a representative building of the old Shenkeng Street; this is the legendary story behind De Xing Ju.
