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If Pinghe Old Street is like a mainstream melody that continues to be sung and celebrated widely to this day, Xinnan Old Street would be the underground indie music of Dakekan. It lacks the vibrant busyness but exudes a unique atmosphere of art and culture, spreading an extraordinary charm that lingers in memory after just one encounter. This is an experience for arts enthusiasts, a moment of heart-skip nostalgia within the aged alleyways, waiting for you to visit and listen. Xinnan Old Street, also known as Zhongshan Old Street, lies merely 500 meters away from Pinghe Old Street. Unlike Pinghe's bustling commerce, Xinnan was historically a high-end area blending politics, economy, and culture with grand mansions from the late Qing Dynasty through the Japanese colonial era. Government buildings such as Qing's General Office of Land Reclamation and Japan's Branch Office, Post Office, Elementary School, Meeting Hall, and Wude Hall (Confucianism Hall) were concentrated here, akin to today's Taipei "Bo Ai Area." In this district, residents were either wealthy or noble; affluent merchant Jian Aniu, Japanese merchant Katō Jinnosuke, and scholar Lu Yingyang (Jr. Scholar) were all prominent families of that era. Single-numbered houses on the alleyway were the estates of the rich, while their double-numbered counterparts were occupied by workers, warehouses, and ordinary homes—offering a street-level glance at the spectrum from wealth to poverty. Compared to Pinghe Old Street, the architectural facades of Xinnan reflect a grander, more luxurious style, with a unique blend of Chinese and Western Baroque design. Each building's gate seems to compete in bold exuberance, as if vying for attention. The most eye-catching feature, "Chengjiao Trading Company," was Jian Aniu's villa. Its Roman-character name, central copper-topped rotunda, symmetrical gabled walls, Western double columns, and width three times the standard storefront size all highlighted the family's formidable wealth. Adjacent "Yongchun" and "Xianji" gates were mansions of the famous Lu family. The peacock spreading its feathers on the gables was bold and grand, while the Chinese traditional carvings of koi, Chinese lions, and auspicious symbols like qin (zither), chess, books, and paintings, as well as the intricate floral mosaic designs on the façade, were ingeniously crafted. These designs were said to be covered with canvas when first built, to prevent replication of their architecture. Other noble family halls along Xinnan Old Street include "Wuyi Jiuzu" (Cloaked Clan) and "Longtang Shidi" (Dragon Pond Aristocrats), expressions of nostalgic remembrance to their hometown. Today, as aristocratic families have declined and heirs have relocated from Dakekan, only the facades and gate archways remain to silently witness the lost glories of Xinnan's past. Next time you visit Dakekan, consider taking a detour down Zhongshan Road, step into a house full of stories, and rediscover Dakekan's former splendor.