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Green Mountain Settlement

2025-09-02
886-8-2318823
金沙鎮碧山村
Located near the eastern coast of Kinmen, the Bishan Settlement, though not included in the Kinmen National Park, has attracted repeated visits from tourists for its rich cultural landscapes blending elements from different cultures. Since 2002, the term "Eight Scenic Views of Bishan" emerged during a themed historical architecture event titled "The Call of Bishan," including notable attractions such as Chen Qingji's Western-style Residence, Chen Dexing's Western-style Residence, Ruiyou School, Ancient Centennial Galla Tree, Dwellings with Four Rooms and Courtyards, Chaoling Temple, and Large and Small Ancestral Halls - all becoming must-see icons of the settlement. A vibrant mural painted by children from Anlan Elementary School under the guidance of picture book artist Liu Ruiqi (Wawa) and local volunteers added youthful vitality to the ancient settlement and injected new generations' creativity to continue writing this community's new chapter. Established in 1934, the Ruiyou School was built by Mr. Chen Ruiyou, who had long struggled to develop in Singapore, after his death. With funds entrusted by his son, renowned local figure Chen Dexing took responsibility for constructing this dedicated educational building for local children to study for free. It gained fame during its brief operation when World War II halted schooling one year later due to Japanese invasion. Now designated as a county-level historic site and restored, it serves as a community cultural performance center. Modeled after Western Baroque architecture, the edifice features ornate façade motifs including Indian police, musical troops, flowers, cranes, and other stucco elements. Though showing marks of time, its former grandeur remains evident. Chen Qingji's Western-style Residence completed construction in 1931 as a "San-Ao-Shou Three-Generation Courtyard" with two main halls and left-right side halls. Designed by owner Chen Qingji, the simplified petal-shaped gable wall features carved Western-style inscriptions "Union Is Strength," stucco figures of Indian soldiers carrying rifles and boatmen rowing舢boards. This rare hybrid Chinese-Western architectural style was quite distinctive in Kinmen at the time. Occupied by military for training purposes in 1949, military forces withdrew completely in the 1980's. This site became a filming location for the 2014 movie "Camp Joy". Chen Dexing's Western-style Residence sits prominently at the settlement's entrance as one of Kinmen's early Western-style buildings. Adorned with carvings of rats (for fertility), goldfish (prosperity), and plantain trees (resonant Chinese phrase "zhao" meaning both "attract" and "prosperity"), the mansion symbolized family blessings and wealth. Though current appearance shows some decay, its past splendor remains in the intricate details.
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