Old Lukang--Reminders of Past Glory

Its days of glory are past, but old Lukang on Taiwan's west coast still offers visitors a fading picture of the China of long ago. As early as the Chienlung and Taokuang reigns of the Ching dynasty, Lukang was one of Taiwan's three best and busiest seaports, the others being Tainan and Manka. Lukang had the heaviest trading volume with the China mainland--because it was closer than any other port of Taiwan. Its heyday was between 1785 and 1851. Lukang used to have a very good natural harbor that could andoften did accomodate at one time as many as two hundred giant junks, with topless masts and booms. Booming business led to prosperity and wealth. When people there became rich, they sought to improve thier living by buiLding better houses, enjoying better food and music and, most important, acquiring good educations. As a result, Lukang became one of the most important art and literary centers.

Lukang lost its importance as a business center, but, with its rich historic heritage it still maintains much of its past grandeur and many of the values that accumulated in the years gone by. Nowadays, when you take a stroll in the narrow streets, you still can recognize many of its uniquefeatures, such as its people, kind and simple, its local customs and traditions. You can sense its amazing art and literary achievements and otherattractions that came down from generation to generation. It is possible to trace the origins reflected in the Ming and Ching civilization, and showing that Taiwan and China proper in all ways are inseparable.

A visit to the old city today gives a sense of a way of life that is rare in any other place in Taiwan. Behind the collapsed walls, in a weatherworn mansion, in a zig zag lane and even an ancient well, there are stories that could be told. Once there was music, dancing, wine and many other good things abundant, and with them heritages and traditions. Lined along the narrow streets are old-style stores, actually replicas of those found in Chang Chow and Chuan Chow in southern Fukien province. Some people are still doing business much like their forefathers did generations before. Most of the narrow streets paved with granite slabs are now gone. Among Lukang's fantastic construction features are the covered streets. They resemble ancient castles, so designed to make them less vulnerable to damage from strong winds and to offer protection from pillaging by bandits. Now they are gone-all but one that survives and that still bustles with life.

Another unique attraction of Lukang is Chiu Chu Hsiang, or the Streetof Nine Turns, built for resisting strong winds and the cold. For every ten households, the street has a turn or bend where a gate was set up. It would be closed in the evening in ancient times as a security measure. The Lukage Folk Arts Museum should certainly be a must for visitors. It was built in 1920 after the fashion of the Presidential Building in Taipei in terms of style and materials. The museum was owned by Ku Wei-fu and later donated by the Ku brothers as a public attraction. It occupies an area of 1,900 pings (68,400 square feet). Even by modern standards it still commands an air of greatness and dignity. Housed in the museum are excellent old photographs and an ever-growing collection of relics. They range from outstanding examples of the works of local craftsmen to many articles of daily life in Lukang and elsewhere.

An embroidered incense bag, a Chinese folk artifact