TING HOUSE

This is one of the most beautiful and best preserved houses in Lukang. It offers a glimpse of what life was like in the bourgeois homes of the Qing Dynasty. You are free to walk around this fascinating relic of the past to admire the turquoise and red paintings of the woodwork, the red paper lanterns, the ancient manuscripts, the original calligraphy and the auspicious golden symbols. This is peculiar because the Ting family was of Muslim origin, but they had since integrated into the rest of Taiwanese culture. Although their family mosque is now a Taoist temple, some influences from their past faith still recall the traditions of the Ding family, such as the prohibition of offering pork to the ancestors. The house was built when a member of the Ting family became Mandarin, and you can see the signs of this social progression, and the luxurious lifestyle led by these merchants. Unfortunately, the renovation of this magnificent vestige of past times has not been done according to the rules of art. The chemical paints used deteriorated the wood, and made the whole thing a little too fluorescent to the taste of the island's historians. It can be accessed from the main street, through two cafes that now occupy part of the buildings, or from the rear, just next to the entrance of the Lukang Folk Art Museum. English-speaking students round out their month-end by offering their guide service. Not to be missed.