Matai’an Old House

Date Captured

May 18th, 2018 at 04:29 UTC

Camera

NIKON D3100

Lens

AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II

Aperture

ƒ / 5.6

Shutter Speed

1/125 sec

Focal Length

20.0 mm

ISO

125

Exposure Value

11.9 EV

Download

3600 × 2400

A well-preserved traditional house of the Amis Indigenous people in the settlement of Matai’an (馬太鞍), known locally as Fata’an. It was begun in 1924 by Xie Bofang (謝伯芳) and completed in 1929, its materials gathered from Maxishan (馬錫山), the mountain rising to the west; bamboo, rattan lashing, and mortise-and-tenon joinery hold the frame together beneath a sloped roof of corrugated iron, said to have been purchased from workers then building the nearby Hualien Sugar Factory. It anchors a cluster of older houses along Wuchang Street (武昌街) that local Amis cultural initiatives have worked to preserve.

Date Captured

May 18th, 2018 at 04:30 UTC

Camera

NIKON D3100

Lens

AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II

Aperture

ƒ / 3.5

Shutter Speed

1/60 sec

Focal Length

18.0 mm

ISO

560

Exposure Value

9.5 EV

Download

3600 × 2400

Date Captured

May 18th, 2018 at 02:58 UTC

Camera

SM-G9208

Lens

Samsung Galaxy S6 Rear Camera

Aperture

ƒ / 1.9

Shutter Speed

1/25 sec

Focal Length

4.3 mm

ISO

160

Exposure Value

6.5 EV

Download

3600 × 2400

When a barrier lake on the Matai’an River (馬太鞍溪) overflowed in 2025, flooding the nearby streets to over a meter, the building’s raised site and threshold kept the inundation to roughly ten centimeters indoors, sparing its collection of woodcarvings and other artifacts.

Viewings are by appointment only.