Matsu New Village
A beautiful past
Matsu New Village was built in 1957 to house dependents of the ROC Army’s 84th Division, then stationed on the Matsu Islands. Homes in the village are styled after American garden houses, with red bricks and gray tiles, red-and-white-striped doors, and apple-green window frames. Every residence has front and back yards, one of the village’s distinctive features. Many high-ranking officers used to live here, which is why the place is also known as the “Generals’ Village,” and the roofs of many houses are adorned with stars.
By 1996, the once-bustling community was facing demolition. But in 2004 it was registered as historic architecture. The first military dependents’ village in Taoyuan to be preserved as cultural heritage, the site is managed by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs. Unlike most story houses, which are single dwellings, Matsu New Village occupies 2.6 hectares. Consequently, some areas are open to the public while others undergo renovation. Oral histories provide a record of village life in the postwar era.
Interview transcripts offer vivid reflections of life in a military dependents’ village. Before shipping out for a tour of duty, men always asked neighbors to look in on their families, and families would care for one another. Home alone, mothers raised children singlehandedly. Often they’d take on work such as tailoring, using their practical skills to make ends meet.
The streets were safe in those days; kids were allowed to play outside, and families did not lock their doors at night. Residents treated each other like family, and children would often eat at the homes of friends. And if kids got out of line, neighbors were free to spank them.
On lunar new year’s eve, many village children would recite the addresses of family homes in mainland China, but as time passed, Taiwan became their new home. Every family had its story, a tale of the times.
Based on those stories, the Department of Cultural Affairs sought to show the village as it existed in the postwar era, renovating a home to recapture the flavor of the period. Chen Wei-hong, chief of the department’s Cultural and Creative Audiovisual Section, recounts how one elderly woman visitor broke into tears when the scent of Ming-Sing Florida Water perfume and the sight of an old sewing machine brought back memories of those difficult times. Old men, former residents, return daily for a stroll through the village, recalling their soldiering years in thick regional accents. Gone are the days but the setting remains, bringing some consolation in the evening of their lives.
Exhibits in the Zhongping Road Story House include everyday items collected by the Wang family.