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In 1953, a young couple—Hong Bing-jian and Hong Xu-feng—opened their first shop to the left of Fuyou Temple (Matsu Temple). By five o’clock every morning the tiny storefront was packed with shoppers. Fresh fish caught that day at Tamsui harbor was delivered to veteran fishmongers who trimmed away gills and scales; each product carried its own secret recipe—spinach fish balls, nutrient-rich fish floss fortified with DHA and calcium. Deyu’s surimi products became so popular that the classic Tamsui “aged” shops specify them as their sole ingredient. Taking over the Red Castle, preserving Tamsui’s old memories In 1963 the Deyu Hong family assumed stewardship of Tamsui’s famous landmark, the “Red Castle.” While developers raced to restructure the town, the Hongs resolved to safeguard the building’s historic value. In 1999 they restored the Red Castle to its original appearance, allowing the late-19th-century structure—already spanning three centuries—to continue standing on the hillside above the ferry pier as a living witness to Tamsui’s evolution. When you visit Deyu, pick up fish balls and fish floss, then climb the stairs in the alley beside the shop to admire the red-brick architecture and feel the rooted persistence of a shop born and bred in Tamsui.