On April 28, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that Fujian people would be allowed to travel to Matsu, and one of the must-see attractions in Matsu is Qinbi Settlement.
Qinbi Village is located in the north of Beigan Island in Matsu, and there are several theories about the origin of the village's name. There is a saying that it is named because it is located between Qin Shan and Bi Mountain, and another is that there is a protruding rock at the mouth of Qin Bi Aokou, which resembles a turtle, and the residents call it "Qin Tsai".
Qinbi is the most complete and representative village in the Matsu Islands that preserves the traditional Mindong architecture, known as the beauty of the Matsu Mediterranean, and is favored by the architecture, culture and art circles at home and abroad.
In May 1982 (locally known as the 71st year of the Republic of China), Taiwan promulgated the "Cultural Assets Preservation Law", stipulating that seven categories, including "historic sites, historical buildings, settlements", "ruins", "cultural landscapes", "traditional arts", "folk customs and related cultural relics", "national treasures, important antiquities, general antiquities" and "natural landscapes", are cultural assets and are listed for protection. Soon, the "Qinbi Settlement" became one of the listed protection units.
Qinbi Village, like other areas in Matsu, is also in the form of an Aokou market village. In the traditional Qinbi settlement, the lifestyle is mainly fishing, supplemented by self-sufficient farming, which is a self-sufficient traditional settlement. In the early years, the abundant fishery resources made the hard-working fishermen accumulate a proud wealth. From the building materials and construction methods of Qinbi Village, it can be clearly compared that Qinbi was one of the most sophisticated and exquisite areas in the Matsu area in the early years. In addition to the general dwellings and temples, there are no special building types, all of which are traditional buildings in eastern Fujian, with large wooden structures, granite walls, five ridges, four slopes or two slopes.
The ancient houses are arranged in a trapezoidal shape along the mountain, row upon row, and each household does not affect the prospect space, and the building materials of the houses are mainly granite and other igneous stones. Due to the rough stone texture and rich colors such as blue and white, yellow-brown and brick-red, the beautiful slate houses built up in each other can be quite integrated with the environment, and the exquisitely carved roof, the "crucian carp mouth" used for drainage and the stone lion used to ward off evil spirits are all representative masterpieces of ancient architecture in northern Fujian.
Qinbi Village, which is prosperous by shrimp fishing and shrimp skin, has declined with the changes of time and space, and after renovation, it reappeared in 2001. Qinbi Village is located independently on the coast, some distance from Beigan City. Walking in Qinbi Village, you will be amazed by its beauty, especially at dusk, enjoy the sea view, listen to the sound of the waves, and admire the stone houses, which is very romantic.
The whole Qinbi is like a stone city, which is made of rough stone buildings, showing the characteristics of typical coastal buildings in eastern Fujian. The ancient houses are arranged in a trapezoidal shape along the mountain, row upon row, and each household does not affect the prospect space, and the building materials of the houses are mainly granite and other igneous stones. Due to the rough stone texture and rich colors such as blue and white, yellow-brown and brick-red, the beautiful slate houses built up in each other can be quite integrated with the environment, and the exquisitely carved roof, the "crucian carp mouth" used for drainage and the stone lion used to ward off evil spirits are all representative masterpieces of ancient architecture in northern Fujian.
There are still quite a few slogans from the period of cross-strait hostility on the walls of the houses in the village, such as "Strive for the final victory" and "Save the mainland compatriots", as well as the set for the filming of the movie "Flowers".
The following are some of the buildings in Qinbi Village.
◆ Qinbi Tianhou Temple: It was built in the 12th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1876), and the existing building was built in 1957 (locally known as the 46th year of the Republic of China), which is the largest temple in Qinbi Village. Fu Lao Jianzhou Building
◆ Qinbi "Opium House" Commercial House: Built in the 1940s, it was arranged as "HILDEBRANT Opium House" during the filming of the movie "Flowers".
Encyclopedia of old buildings in Fuzhou
◆ Qinbi "Tianhe Chengqian Village": Built in the 1940s, it was arranged as "Tianhe Chengqian Village" during the filming of the movie "Flowers". Lin Yinan
◆ Qinbi "Xiangxing Silk Village": Built in the 1940s, it was arranged as "Xiangxing Silk Village" during the filming of the movie "Flowers".
◆ Qinbi "Yufeng Porcelain Shop": Built in the 1940s, it was arranged as "Yufeng Porcelain Shop" during the filming of the movie "Flowers".
◆ Qinbi Jiashi Cafe: Built in the 1940s, it is now a "Jiashi Cafe", which also operates a homestay (family hotel).
◆ Qinbi "Mediterranean" B&B: Built in the 1940s, it was once a "Mediterranean" B&B. Encyclopedia of Old Buildings in Fuzhou (fzcuo.com)
◆ Qinbi "Jing Ao Snack Bar": Built in the 1940s, it is now "Jing Ao Snack Bar".
◆ Qinbi "Civil-Military Cooperation" Residence: Built in the 1940s, there are slogans such as "Civil-Military Cooperation" and "Liberation of the Mainland" on the wall.
◆ Qinbi "Deshun": Built in the 1940s, there is "Deshun" on the door, and there are slogans such as "Long live President Jiang" on the wall.
◆ Qinbi Chen Zhongping Pirate House: The largest building in Qinbi was built by the pirate leader Chen Zhongping.
◆Qinbi "climbing vine" dwelling: It is estimated that it was built in the 1940s, now abandoned, the building is full of climbing vines, and there is an antique street lamp in the corner of the house.