The Ancient Hakka Houses of Kinmen Transformed into “The Principal’s Home”! Stay at This Homestay to Relive Your School Days

▲Rooms are named after “classes,” a distinctive feature of The Principal’s Home. (Photo / Reporter Li Jiarong, same below)

Reporter Li Jiarong / Kinmen Report

When traveling to Kinmen, besides savoring authentic local cuisine and soaking in the region’s cultural vibe, the classic Min-style architecture is also a highlight not to be missed. Among these, homestays built from restored Min-style buildings are a must-do experience for both domestic and international visitors. Located in the Zhushan settlement“The Principal’s Home”isa homestay that combines ancient Min-style houses with a school theme, offering both learning and fun, and allowing you to escape the hustle and bustle while reliving your childhood school life.

%The affluent Zhushan settlement has always placed great emphasis on education and culture. Therefore, in the early years of the Republic of China, a piece of auspicious land known as the “Four Waters Converging into a Pond” was chosen to establish a school, and the former Zhushan Elementary School was built on the site of what was originally “The Principal’s Home” during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era. The building was later managed by Xue Chongwu, a descendant of the original owner, who served as the principal of the elementary school. This structure is one of the rare three-courtyard mansions (top three rows) in Kinmen, renovated from an old property, and is also one of the larger buildings in the Zhushan settlement. In earlier times, family relationships were highly valued, so having spacious common areas also became a major characteristic of traditional homestays.