Origins of Street House

         During the Ching Dynasty, the Old Street was not enough for business activities, which led to the internal expansion and eventually the formation of "No sky" street. This new street (the surrounding areas of Wu-Fu Street) became the most important business center of Lukang. As a result, the development of the street-houses on Wu-Fu Street was quite different from that of Pei-Tou. Compared with the street-houses of Pei-Tou, the street-houses of Wu-Fu Street were more like those on Yao-Lin Street and Pu-Tou and were in a better organized pattern, apparently under a meticulous plan—a plan collaborated by the guilds and the locals.

　　The development of Wu-Fu Street during the Ching Dynasty was different from earlier times in the following ways: developing in a certain period of time, similar house designs, and similar size for streets, which were meant to boost the development of business activities. Therefore, there should be a consensus on the development of Wu-Fu Street and there could be some regulations about the development. Yet it is a pity that the evidences for the consensus and the regulations are nowhere to be found now. Besides, the street-houses on "No sky" street were similar to the Chuan Chou-style, which shows the development might be closely related to the leading guild, Chuan Chou Guild.

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Design of the Street Houses

         The design of the street-houses on "No sky" street originated from the Chuan Chou- and Chang Chou-styles. The main framework was made from wood. The walls between houses were made from clay or knit bamboos with mud, which were replaced by bricks plus wood on the top (the roofs) as time went by. There were wells inside the houses to deter burglary and for business, which became the major characteristic. Another characteristic is that the street-houses are in an oblong layout, quite different from the houses in other ports. This characteristic might be closely related to the land planning and the space management.

Street house in late Cin dynasty

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              In terms of the spatial functions and the façade, the street-houses at that time had two, three, or four compartments—each compartment for different purposes. The facades were made from wood or bricks, differed in styles—some were even burglarproof. So much for this topic. In a word, since the owners of the street-houses during the Ching Dynasty did not plan for long-term residence and shuffled between Taiwan and the mainland, the street-houses were nothing but business-oriented and similar in design, which manifests the role of "No sky" street as the business center of Lukang and the differences from the street-houses of the Japanese Colonial Period.

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