左鎮羅家古厝

Zuozhen Luo Family Residence

September 20th, 2024

Last updated July 24th, 2026

An old Japanese colonial era residence in Zuozhen, long-abandoned but still neatly kept.

Here we find the former residence of Lô Lâi-siū (羅來受, 1897–1964), a Siraya Indigenous leader and pastor in the Presbyterian church credited for his efforts in developing his hometown of Zuozhen, Tainan. His mother was the first Siraya woman to receive a Western-style education. Following in her footsteps, he attended high school in Tainan City and was recruited by the Civil Engineering Bureau of the Japanese Governor-General’s Office after graduating in 1918.

Lô is credited with modernizing the district, bringing the railway in the form of a freight connection to Shanhua Sugar Factory (later upgraded for passenger service in the 1950s), and developing the commercial center of what is now Zuozhen Old Street. He later entered politics, rising through the ranges of local associations to serve as baozheng (保正), an official of the hokō (保甲) system of community policing, and, in the post-war period, Lô was elected to two terms as a county councilor.

The character for the Lô surname appears to have been replaced at some point, perhaps because the original fell off.

Few details relating the history of this old residence are available, but from the biography above (and the appearance of the house itself) we can infer that it was built in 1930s. It is a simple one-storey structure with a stonewashed finish, two wings on either side of a main hall, and an outhouse in the back. Some family members likely resided here after the passing of Lô in 1964 but it obviously hasn’t been occupied for quite some time now.

Sunlight seeps into a bathroom at the back of the house.

The back corner of the house is open to the elements.

A broken rooftop lets rainwater rot the wood left inside the old residence.

An oblique look at the front of the building.

Old-fashioned knob-and-tube wiring can still be seen on the exterior.

One last glimpse of this decades-old residence in Zuozhen.

Zuozhen is rich in historic sites, but none are officially designated by the Ministry of Culture as of 2026, at least insofar as I can tell. This would make a worthy addition to the collection. Apart from this old residence there is also a Lô Lâi-siū Memorial Hall (羅來受紀念館) on the grounds of Zuozhen Presbyterian Church (左鎮教會) a little further south of this location.