Fell in love at first sight with this earthen house tucked away in the alley — Hualien’s “Alleyway Little Old House”

Photos and text / Excerpted from *Moving to Hualien: Practicing Ideal Life with 30 New Hualien Residents*, published by Macs Books

In this small alley, a few green potted plants are scattered beneath gray concrete walls, while an old bicycle is parked haphazardly nearby. Not far ahead, a low earthen house emits faint laughter. The atmosphere feels just like visiting grandma’s countryside home — as soon as you step inside, there are warm smiles, steaming hot food, and the overlapping greetings of elderly neighbors dropping by.

A carefree lifestyle with diverse side hustles
“Alleyway Little Old House,” as the name suggests, is an earthen old house tucked away in a small alley. The owners are Ivy and Nan Ge, a newlywed couple. With her long hair casually tied up and wearing her own hand-dyed clothes, it’s hard to imagine that Ivy was once an advertising and marketing expert who spent years in the corporate worlds of advertising and banking, dressed in office suits. The immense work pressure often made Ivy want to quit. After receiving a job offer in the U.S., she began to reflect and wanted to stop working just for the sake of working.

After returning to Taiwan, Ivy met Nan Ge and started traveling around with him, who works in landscape design. Beyond their main jobs, the couple’s colorful side hustles are also quite intriguing: they once went to the high mountains of Xinyi Township and planted over nine thousand cabbages. “It wasn’t long before Ah Nan got another job elsewhere. When he returned to the mountain a month later, the cabbages had been overrun by other wild vegetables,” Ivy said with a laugh. After their happy farm dream turned into a regret, the two then went to Tienwei Township to help Nan’s sister grow flowers, sell pottery at markets, and even sold charcoal-grilled stinky tofu and grilled mochi in Pingxi. They have countless such stories and memories.

Settling in Hualien — a five-minute decision
Previously, although the couple often traveled to Hualien for work, they hadn’t yet thought about settling down. “We just wanted to find a piece of land along the East Coast where we could see the sea, but we never found the ideal spot. Once, Ah Nan went to the city to design a bar counter for a friend and unexpectedly discovered this old house in the alley. I walked from outside the house to the yard, then back out again, and decided to rent it on the spot. Ah Nan was even faster — he didn’t even go into the house, just saw the alley and decided to rent it. So settling in Hualien was just a five-minute decision,” Ivy recalled with a smile.

Unexpectedly, renting the place marked the beginning of challenges. “At that time, we had no idea about the condition of the house. We were just happy to see an earthen house and never thought about how run-down it might actually be. But once we started demolition, things got out of hand — the more we tore down, the more there was to repair.” The couple spent NT$500,000 just on repairs during the renovation, far exceeding their expectations, and they are still in the process of fixing things up as they go.

Alleyway Little preserves the original charm of the old house while adding plenty of the owners’ personal style. Ivy’s beautiful hand-dyed fabrics have been transformed into elegant lampshades, sunlight-filtering curtains, and more. The kitchen bar counter, embedded with artistic lighting, is a cement sculpture crafted by Nan Ge’s skilled hands. The bathroom features a large, round mud-brick window that brings in greenery and sunlight. These creative touches blend seamlessly with the old house without any sense of discord.

Just love old houses
The couple has a deep affection for old houses. They even created an old house map, introducing the characteristics of each one with great enthusiasm. A couple from mainland China who visited Alleyway Little once even transported their bicycle from Chengdu to Taiwan to cycle around the island. They could have stayed in a hotel costing NT$10,000 a night, but they loved Alleyway Little’s old house. “They said they just love the unique atmosphere of old houses.”

“There are many old houses in Hualien, but unfortunately, many are being demolished at a fast pace in recent years. We hope to preserve more of them. Tourism is good for locals, but we should protect Hualien’s precious resources that make it attractive, rather than blindly building new things. Many renovated old houses have lost their original charm, and we find that very regrettable.”

Warmth and sincerity, unrestrained and limitless
“Hualien has a strong sense of community — people love sharing food with one another.” Alleyway Little has a unique small revolving door made from old farming tools. It was originally just thought to be interesting, but it unexpectedly became a little secret door for friends to deliver food when the couple is away. Often, they’d return home to find a pile of small gifts at the doorstep. The grandma at the end of the alley also prepares lots of food for Nan Ge — so much so that it almost makes him want to run back home.

“One guest once said that Hualien people are so strange. People in the city always call ahead to arrange a meeting, setting a time and place in an organized way. But Hualien people just show up casually with food to visit, not even caring if no one’s home.” But Ivy thinks that’s just the Hualien people’s free-spirited nature and love for sharing — homemade brews, freshly picked vegetables and fruits, even seasonal flowers, all offered freely and without limits.

Filled with warmth, Alleyway Little is often filled with friends dropping by. What was originally intended to be just a workspace unexpectedly became a place of shared space. Neighbors, friends, and backpackers feel like one big family. Ivy and Nan Ge hope this quiet old alleyway house can bring everyone the same sense of ease and comfort as being at home.