Qiaozai Village is nestled on the north-facing slope of a valley on the shaded side of Bishan (“wall mountain”). The valley is riddled with ditches, and little bridges can be seen everywhere. That is what the name of the village means: “little bridges.” Qiaozai once prospered from an abundance of fish and salt, and its streets bustled with commerce; from its beginnings, it was a hub for business with China. It became the biggest village on Beigan, with more than 1,000 residents, and the villagers started building their Xuantian Shangdi (Lord of the Somber Heavens) Temple in 1742. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty business groups from Lienchiang and Changle contended for the fishery resources in the surrounding seas, and a salt administration tablet was erected in Tangqi and Qiaozai to preserve order.
The village is divided into four districts, one of which is Xiananjing, or “lower south precincts.” This district’s name means that in earliest times it was inhabited by people from below (south of) Fuzhou. (Most Matsu residents came from northern Fujian.) In the past, people from southern Fujian and Putian in the north together inhabited the area from below the Round-the-Island North Road tablet to Marshal Tian Temple. Qiaozai is more densely packed with temples than any other village in the county. It has the unique “three temples in one” in the middle of the village; and, in fact, it worships more deities than it has human inhabitants. A simple wharf on the left side of the harbor is where goods are transshipped to the islands of Gaodeng and Liangdao, which are even closer to China than Beigan, and is where you depart to see the sights on Daqiu.
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Qiaozai Village
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