Migratory Birds Return Home: Lighting Up the Banana and Vinyl Triplex Courtyard at the Foot of Meinong Mountain

Text & Photography / Kaohsiung City - Bureau of Information
 
The rain had just stopped over Meinong’s Moonlight Mountain, where the lush, rich green seemed to drip with nectar. A red-tiled, white-walled triplex courtyard sat quietly amidst the green hills and rice paddies — a sight that could instantly capture your heart.

At 10 a.m., the triplex courtyard was at its liveliest. Before even speaking with the owner, Chung Shih-wei, I saw German tourists ducking out through the arched gate, Swiss visitors strolling across the rice field, and an elderly Japanese couple taking photos everywhere. It was hard not to wonder: what kind of charm does this place — accessible only via winding country lanes — hold to attract so many international travelers? One elderly Japanese woman said to me in broken English, “I’ve been to Taiwan five times, but this is my favorite place.”

Connecting Past and Future
The successful transformation of this over 70-year-old Hakka ancestral home was driven by returning youth Chung Shih-wei. Originally a magazine photographer, he couldn’t bear to see the family’s ancestral house — filled with memories — crumble like the old tobacco barns. In 2013, he began restoring the nearly abandoned courtyard.

Shih-wei recalled his shock upon seeing the old house again: “When we opened the door, the only tenants were bats and snakes — there wasn’t even a toilet or running water.” At the time, he was still working at a magazine, driving back and forth between Taipei and Meinong every weekend just to discuss renovation progress with the contractors. Though physically exhausted, he found more joy in the old house restoration than in photography work. “During the renovation, I came to understand my own culture more deeply. I learned that the couplets and patterns in the ancestral hall carried the hopes our ancestors had for their descendants. For the first time, I felt, ‘So this is what it means to be Hakka!’” In 2016, he made up his mind to quit his job, return home, and focus on running the homestay. His life of drifting finally found roots.

In traditional Hakka farming families, children are expected to make it in the city to bring honor to their ancestors. At first, the elders couldn’t understand Shih-wei’s decision to quit his job and restore the ancestral home — he even had to hide it from his beloved grandfather. Thankfully, he persisted. The triplex courtyard regained its vitality, not only sharing Hakka culture with travelers from all over, but also reuniting the family. The name “Banana and Vinyl Triplex Courtyard” refers to the two most cherished family members — his grandfather who grew bananas and his mother who loved vinyl records — as well as representing the emotional bonds that span three generations.