De Hsing Ju (Ouli Cultural Cafe) Introduction
Established in 1926, De Xing Ju is a street house built in a Baroque-style red brick architecture. The column heads simplify the Greek column design, while the intricate decorations incorporate traditional wooden motifs. Floral and auspicious themes blend both Eastern and Western styles. The richly colored decorative tiles and the carefully selected materials for both the facade and the interior make it unparalleled at that time. Located on Shenkeng Old Street, "De Xing Ju" is operated by Huang De Long, a descendant of Huang Zhong Shu's lineage, who managed a grocery and coal mining business. It is said that Huang De Long dreamt of Lu Dongbin at the Zhinan Temple, who instructed him to go to Jiufen to mine for gold, leading him to become a wealthy figure on Shenkeng Street. As a return favor, he donated to the Fude Temple and Qixing Pond near the 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 Western-style building in Shenkeng during the Japanese occupation and is now a representative structure of Shenkeng Old Street. This is the legendary story behind De Xing Ju.
