Matai’an Old House

Date CapturedMay 18th, 2018 at 04:29 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 5.6Shutter Speed1/125 secFocal Length20.0 mmISO125Exposure Value11.9 EVOriginal Size3600 × 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 CapturedMay 18th, 2018 at 04:30 UTCCameraNIKON D3100LensAF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED IIApertureƒ / 3.5Shutter Speed1/60 secFocal Length18.0 mmISO560Exposure Value9.5 EVOriginal Size3600 × 2400

Date CapturedMay 18th, 2018 at 02:58 UTCCameraSM-G9208LensSamsung Galaxy S6 Rear CameraApertureƒ / 1.9Shutter Speed1/25 secFocal Length4.3 mmISO160Exposure Value6.5 EVOriginal Size3600 × 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.