Wu Hsiucai's Residence Introduction
Located in the Shangqi Village of the Shangku Settlement, the Wu Scholar's House is the largest ancient residence on Lieyu Island, built in the 20th year of the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty. It was constructed by Wu Jingshan, who became wealthy through shipping and salt production in Shangku. The architectural form is a large courtyard with three sections and a double dragon guardian on both sides. After the fifth-generation descendant of the Wu family, Wu Yushan, passed the scholar examination in the late Guangxu era, a study room and school were established in front of the ancient house to provide free education for local children. This initiative was greatly appreciated by the community, leading the villagers to affectionately refer to the Wu family's large house as the "Scholar's House," a name that continues to be used to this day. The layout and decoration of the Wu Scholar's House show a clear distinction between main and subsidiary areas, with a symmetrical arrangement on both sides. The front serves as the entrance hall, while the back is the main hall, which contains a deity altar, ancestral altar, and photographs of Wu ancestors. Hanging from the beams in the main hall are the incense burner for the God of Heaven, palace lanterns, and a fertility lamp, which bears the inscription "Yanling Yanpai." The area of the left guardian dragon is preserved as a space for the owner to drink tea and perform Nanguan music. The roof design of the Wu Scholar's House follows the common “hard mountain double pitch” style seen in Kinmen, featuring both swallow-tail and horse-back ridge forms, with mud sculptures of figures, animals, and landscapes on the swallow-tail ridge, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship and solid structure, making it a site worth careful appreciation.
