Capture Matsu’s beauty with a camera lens

Matsu is famous for its villages

Lean against an alley wall for a personal portrait

Or zoom in for war-time slogans painted on an old house

Take a special picture for your social media account

Embraced by mountains and the sea, Matsu looks even more beautiful in a distant shot

Bring your camera along and explore the beautiful corners of Matsu

 

<Photo-taking Tips>

1. Most of the villages in Matsu are built along hills and slopes, and thus the houses here seem to straddle in layers. The roads here mostly come with narrow steps. In all, Matsu looks like a coastal mountain town. Such town scenery is the first to recommend to photographers.

2. Matsu’s village houses are built with locally produced stones. The stones all look so square as if they were stamps. The rock houses are our second recommendation.

3. Matsu’s houses are characterized by “five-ridge, four-slope” and “one-ridge, two-slope” roofs, also known as “V-character” roofs. The roofs are our third recommendation.

4. Other pretty little things found in Matsu’s village buildings include:

(1) “Tile-pressing rocks”: It is windy in Matsu. The rocks are placed on the roofs to stop them from getting blown away.

(2) Small windows: “Mindong” architecture features small windows - to keep winds and pirates away.

(3) All kinds of walls: The most common types of walls of Mindong architecture are: pile-of-rocks, V-shaped, and parallel. Mindong temples are characterized by “walls of winds and fire.” 

(4) Other special ornaments: Some roofs contain short rain-proof walls with carp ornaments. Rain would go out from the carp’s mouth.

(5) Visitors are encouraged to learn about the culture and history of Matsu’s old houses, aside from taking pictures.

(6) Why not take a slow walk in the villages’ alleys and lanes, as if doing time travel. While some old houses are rather tattered now, their finely crafted walls and windows suggest a prosperous past. 

 

<The Famous Villages in Matsu>

Nangan: Niujiao, Jinsha, Tieban

Beigan: Qinbi, Qiaozi

Dongju: Fuzheng, Dapu