Retro Floral-Tiled Traditional Houses on a Bus – A Taiwan-Themed Sightseeing Vehicle

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family | Photos by Taiwan Tourism Bureau
 
Recently on the streets of Singapore, a bus adorned with retro floral tiles and carrying Minnan-style traditional houses has become the most eye-catching highlight amid the bustling city, bringing the charm of small Taiwanese towns to the Lion City.

This nostalgic Taiwanese traditional house bus is part of a promotional campaign created by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s office in Singapore for the 2019 Taiwan Towns Year. Designed by Taiwanese-American designer Jennifer Wen Ma, it features five 3D buses that capture the classic imagery of 40 Taiwanese towns, brimming with Taiwanese flavor as they travel through the city garden that is Singapore.

Traditional houses—known as “gu cuo” in the Minnan dialect—are old houses, and their red-brick structures are among the most iconic traditional buildings of southern Fujian. They can be seen in places like Jiufen Old Street, Lukang Town, Dadaocheng, and Hengchun Ancient City, serving as a warm, essential hue for every local town and also forming the main design theme of the traditional house bus.

The top of the bus features 3D protrusions inspired by the classic swallowtail roofs of traditional Minnan architecture in Taiwan. The upward-curving ends split into two, resembling a swallow’s tail—hence the name—and symbolize noble status. Swallowtail roofs are very rare outside of Taiwan and the Minnan region.

Take a closer look beneath the eaves on the roof, and you’ll spot 3D-carved swallows nesting— a mother swallow and four hungry chicks, incredibly lifelike. Swallows symbolize good fortune, and for Taiwanese people in Singapore, they also represent homesickness.