Photography, painting from life

Dongju Lighthouse (also called Dongquan Lighthouse), built by the British in 1872, was made a Class 2 Taiwan and Fujian Area Historical Site in 1988. The Ming Era Dapu Stone Inscription is a relic from the rule of the Ming Emperor Wanli, older than the Dongju Lighthouse of the late Qing, but in 1988, after evaluation by the Ministry of the Interior, it was only named a Class 3 site. Dapu Village, a preserved traditional settlement on Dongju, is currently uninhabited, retaining its rustic traditional style. The Matsu National Scenic Area Administration has invited artists to stay here to take the area as inspiration for their art, and is working with the Community Development Association to create a seaside paradise. After arriving on Xiju by ferry, to the left of the Xiqiu Village General Services Center is a footpath towards Qingfan Village’s historic “Mountain and ocean family” (Shan Hai Yi Jia ) building, from where the CIA operated covertly in the early 1950s. There is a viewing platform along the path, which continues on to Kunqiu. There is a series of reefs in the nearby waters, and when the tide goes out, a clean, crescent-shaped shoal is revealed; at high tide, all that can be seen is the top of the reefs, resembling a giant snake swimming in the ocean. This is where the name “snake island” comes from.

Nangan’s Niujiao Village is known as the “battlefield Jiufen” for its similarities to the atmospheric hillside town in northern Taiwan. The traditional Eastern Min architecture is characterized by roof tiles being held in place by stones rather than permanently fixed in place. Wandering Niujiao Village's stone steps and alleys, past old homes renovated and now coffee houses, the Yima Restaurant, or the Niulan Inn, you may forget you are in Niujiao and recall the town of Jiufen, made famous by the film City of Sadness. Jinsha is home to aged liquors, and was formerly called “Golden Sands” because of how its sandy beach glimmered in the sunlight. In early years, the village prospered from fishing, the village was at the center of the tense cross-strait stand off after the ROC Armed Forces retreated to Matsu; furthermore, with Matsu's fish resources depleted in the 1970s, many residents left for Taiwan, both to try to make a living and to stay out of the way of potential conflict. This, however, has led to the accidental preservation of the original phase of this century old settlement. In recent years, the subjects of the preservation of Matsu's villages and reuse of abandoned spaces have taken shape here, and significant results can already be seen.

Qinbi Village is built on a hillside facing the ocean; the outer walls of the houses are mainly built of granite and, from a distance, it looks like a town of stone on the sea. In the old days, when the needs of growing clans required houses to be built, construction was always undertaken after consultation and planning and, as the members of the clan increased, they gradually formed settlements built around a central cluster of buildings, resulting in a mode of settlement particular to the Matsu region characterized by relationships of deep blood ties,close relationships and unity. In earlier years, most of the buildings were constructed of granite, and the traditional dwellings mainly consist of an independent structure with two stories. The village is sometimes called the "Mediterranean stone town” for the resemblance it bears to scenery seen in that region. Qiaozai is home to more temples than any other village in Matsu; the presence of eight temples here are indication of how populous the fishing village once was. But Qiaozai lost its luster some time ago, and the remaining population is very small now, resulting in the unusual situation of the village being home to “more gods than people.” Qiaozai’s traditional buildings were mainly built facing the sea in order to observe activity there. The village now has a modest fishing village exhibit hall, displaying techniques and tools of the early local fishing industry.