Thirteen Houses Introduction
Thirteen Houses Old Street was once the busiest street in Nanzhuang and served as a major traffic route at the time. Until 1963, it was hit by heavy rains from Typhoon Gloria, flooding the old street and causing residents to relocate, leading to its decline. In recent years, due to the return of young people and the township office's efforts to secure related funding for re-planning, the old street has gradually come back to life under these dual conditions. There are various theories regarding the origin of the street's name, two of the more common ones are: an old man passing by counted the shops and found there were 13, thus the name. Another theory is that there are exactly 13 connected houses along the street, hence residents named it Thirteen Houses. Thirteen Houses Old Street stretches from No. 60 to No. 144 Zhongshan Road, with red brick pillars marking the entrances, along with distinctive streetlights in the shape of oil lamps that reflect the coal imagery of the time. Additionally, there is a wall featuring illustrations of characters engaged in mining and logging, which are cute and suitable for tourists to take photos. Besides the coal mine-themed design, the wooden nameplates of each shop enhance the rustic charm of the old street. Each wooden nameplate features special patterns such as scissors, combs, iron pieces, and tai chi, representing the businesses of the past, which included barbershops, blacksmiths, and fortune-telling. These delicate and compact signs serve as identifiers for the industries and are a unique feature of the address signage. Thirteen Houses may not be as famous as Osmanthus Lane, attracting fewer tourists, which makes the old street more tranquil and gives it a sense of historical atmosphere. Although it is still in the development stage, efforts by like-minded individuals to promote Nanzhuang's ingredients and culture have led to the opening of various specialty shops, such as soap shops, kiln-baked bread, and health steam buns, among others. The introduction of new concepts is believed to bring fresh ideas to the old street.
