Hearing the tender words of aged wood merchants, Taiwan’s floral-tiled heritage houses—only found in Chiayi
Last updated 2026-11-08 — “At least a third of the cypress from Alishan has been felled,” Xu Jinlong slowly opens the wooden door at the base of the house. “The back door of the old lumberyard used to have a log storage pond—it’s been filled in now.” He keeps digging into his memories, also unearthing treasures from the lumberyard’s warehouse. “This old plaque was found in the warehouse,” he says, looking up at the four characters “Merchants Gather from All Directions,” their strokes encapsulating the glory days of Chiayi as the capital of timber.
Early in the morning, the whistle of the Alishan Forest Railway pierces through the back alley of "Ronglin Timber Shop," and the box of memories opens punctually each day. "During the Japanese colonial period, Chiayi was Taiwan’s largest timber distribution hub, with timber shops lining Lin Sen West Road," recalls Xu Jinlong of the bustling past. Ronglin is the only surviving old timber shop, which got a fresh makeover in late 2016, with a sign reading “Taiwan Floral Tile Heritage House” hung above its door.
Text & photos / Mirror Media Weekly
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