Kuyufa Trading Company was founded in 1894 by Ku Jinyan, who started out as a vendor selling sweets in a travelling theatre troupe. Originally from Xinpu’s Hakka community, he ended up in Daxi when the town had become a bustling port for tea, camphor, and woodwork. These goods were shipped from Daxi down Dahan River to Dadaocheng in Taipei. Ku seized upon the opportunity at that time and opened up a shop on Heping Old Street. For years, he stocked tobacco, liquor, pastries, as well as other assorted goods, and his shop became a mainstay for people in the neighbourhood, the go-to place for anyone preparing a wedding, funeral, or festival. The cracks in the tiles on the floor evidence the many customers who frequented the shop in its early years.
Housed in a building whose architecture presents a mix of Japanese, Taiwanese, and western influences, Kuyufa was a Hakka establishment at a Taiwanese crossroads. While common features of western architecture could be seen in the facades, courtyards, and trusses along the street, the interior contained wide rafters, tiling work, and other classic elements in traditional Hakka architecture. Just looking at the bricks — from the dark grey brickwork of old, to the red brick and striped bricks that came later, and the standardised machine-made brickwork of the Japanese colonial period — one can see the ways that architecture changed over the course of modern Taiwanese history.
Returning to Taiwan to Revive the Family’s Old Home
While Heping Old Street has surely changed with the times, it seemed as if Kuyufa had frozen in place. It had been many years since the shop had closed its doors, and nothing had been done to update its appearance. In fact, this lack of renovation made the old storefront a tourist attraction, and it was even recommended in an in-flight magazine. After Ku Chengchun, one of the original owner’s descendants, saw a photo of the building on a flight to Canada, and then years later saw a video of it at a conference in Shanghai, she began thinking differently about her family’s old home. She was shocked, “Until I saw that video, I never realised how beautiful my home was!”
With experience travelling around the world, having worked in both immigration consultation and public relations, Ku Chengchun realised that her family’s property was in such disrepair that restoration work could be held off no longer, and she decided to return to Taoyuan to take care of the property. She persuaded other family members to register the house as a historic building, meaning that renovations would have to be done with the utmost care so that their application would be approved by the Ministry of Culture. Ku Chengchun also sought the help of Hwang Juichen, a close friend and the fourth-generation owner of a nearby shop called Hwang Ryh Shiang, who helped put together a menu revolving around traditional Taiwanese cuisine. Eventually the old house was converted into a restaurant, and Kuyufa Trading Company became Ku Gallery. Now customers come to eat in a place with the same warmth they would find in the comfort of their grandparents’ homes, surrounded by the old artefacts of yesteryear. Ku Chengchun smiles when she says, “For me, it’s not just a business, it’s about bringing people back home.”
Ku Chengchun’s ethos is encapsulated in the idea of “everything old is new again”, and this has propelled her efforts to bring out the unique character and charm of the old house. Her work has since attracted tea masters, Nanguan musicians, opera singers, writers, and all kinds of artists, who come to hold events and exhibitions at the space and stop by on walking tours down Heping Old Street. The old house exists in high contrast to the world of contemporary art, and that makes it all the more interesting for people who are keen to see the fusion of traditional and contemporary cultures.
Where Old Architecture Meets New Art
Renovation on the building have been pursued in the interest of restoring things as they were, attempting to perfectly replicate the original appearance of the place. As such, no new plaster has been applied to the walls. Instead, a method known in Taiwan as “small needle beautification” has been used to preserve the traces of time by drip-feeding glue into the walls to keep the structure intact.
Such an unconventional renovation method was cause for no small number of arguments between Ku Chengchun and the architecture experts who conducted the assessment for the property’s restoration. Nevertheless, when the house gradually regained its distinctive character of old, the relevant authorities from the Ministry of Culture saw the value of the method and approved the Ku family’s application. In 2015, the Ku family even received an award from the Ministry of Culture for the quality of their renovation work, becoming the first non-governmental party to be recognised with such distinction.
Ku Chengchun sees how “When a place is restored to its original appearance, there is a simplicity and warmth that touches people, just like when someone rediscovers who they are.” In this case, there was an old wall that simply could not have been restored with today’s techniques, so at first they let it go. They decided not it would be better to do nothing until a better method was found. As Ku Chengchun puts it, “It’s not about progress, but a certain attitude. There’s no shortcuts when it comes to renovating old buildings.”
As a space that allows people to rediscover themselves, while rediscovering how the architecture of the building was meant to be interacted with, Ku Gallery has become a popular place for all kinds of people. For Ku Chengchun, this means embracing the space’s multi-functionality — as a stage for modern dance, opera performances, or theatre troupes, and as a classroom providing courses to senior citizens. Outside of such events, of course, the space returns to its quiet and simple state, providing a place where friends and families can gather to share a meal, drink tea, chat, and learn something new.
A truly historic space that has maintained its magic over the years, Ku Gallery has maintained course into the modern day, exhibiting the great diversity of possibilities innate in the Hakka way of life.
Ku Gallery
No. 48, Heping Rd., Daxi Dist., Taoyuan City, Taiwan
(+886) 922-335-581
A Stop Along the Way:
Lianzuo Mountain Guanyin Temple
Lianzuo Mountain Guanyin Temple in Daxi is a Buddhist temple that was built by the local educated class as a place of worship to Guanyin and the Eighteen Luohan, or Arhats — the original followers of Buddha. Also known as Guanyin Pavilion, the temple has served as a religious centre for Hakka people in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli for more than two centuries. As Ku Chengchun notes, “It’s a must-visit temple during Lunar New Year, and there are many Hakka people living abroad who come to show their gratitude to Guanyin during the holiday season each year.” When visiting the temple, it is typical to buy lotus flowers on one’s way up the mountain.
Guanyin Temple is a one of Taiwan’s National Historic Sites. Although it has undergone multiple reconstruction projects, and has even been completely rebuilt, the wood and stone that comprise the temple are still mostly the same as those originally used in the Qing dynasty. The temple houses a collection of ceramic work, woodcarving, engraved stone, and other art all done in a classic, elegant style. Selected as one of Taiwan’s “Top 100 Religious Sites” in 2013, the temple features a pavilion in front of the main hall that has a gable roof with multiple eaves and a grand bagua (eight diagrams) sunk panel ceiling.
Lianzuo Mountain Guanyin Temple
No. 28, Ln. 48, Sec. 2, Ruei’an Rd., Daxi Dist., Taoyuan City, Taiwan
(+886) 3-388-5674 5:00am–6:30pm
Fun Hakka - A Fun Trip to Taoyuan
As the government of Taiwan has been in the process of implementing a national-level revitalisation project along Provincial Highway 3, many local communities have been activated in recent years. History, culture, and industry have all come together at a number of stops along the highway, and Hakka communities have prospered as a result.
There is an extraordinary diversity to the ways of life, cultures, and histories of different Taiwanese Hakka people. For those who live in the Taoyuan districts of Xinwu, Yangmei, Pingzhen, Longtan, Zhongli, Guanyin, Dayuan, and Daxi, Highway 3 is a key asset in the diverse cultural landscape. A north–south highway that features scenic mountain views and extends from Taipei to Pingtung, Highway 3 provides access to many Hakka communities, especially the 850,000 Taiwanese Hakka spread throughout the mountainous, coastal, and urban areas of Taoyuan.
