The Penghu Living Museum is administered by the Penghu County Government Bureau of Cultural Affairs. Located on the eastern side of central Magong, the museum centers on “everyday island life,” systematically collecting and displaying objects, traditional crafts, settlement patterns, and folk customs from Penghu’s fishing village society spanning the Qing Dynasty through the modern era. This is not a destination built around spectacular scenery; it is a place for travelers who want a genuine understanding of Penghu. Having visited here, you will recognize the daily lives that shaped those temples, stone walls, and markets when you later visit Tianhou Temple or walk Central Old Street. The bus “Living Museum Station” stops directly at the entrance, making this one of the few indoor exhibition spaces in central Magong that is accessible without a rental vehicle and worth spending a full morning inside.
Highlights
The exhibitions center on the relationship between people and the sea. Beginning with fishing techniques, the narrative extends to fish processing, market trade, household architecture, and folk religion — clearly structured and without unnecessary repetition. The fishing implements section displays real objects including shrimp nets, fish traps, and bottom longline gear, with explanatory text describing the seasonal rhythm of Penghu’s fisheries: squid in spring and summer, with cuttlefish and largehead hairtail in autumn and winter. This helps visitors understand the maritime logic behind local cuisine rather than simply appreciating the food at face value.
The settlement and architecture section recreates the construction methods of traditional Penghu coral stone (basalt) courtyard houses: low stone walls, small windows, swallow-tail ridge ends, and windbreak walls. These materials and forms represent centuries of spatial wisdom accumulated by Penghu’s early settlers in living with the northeast monsoon. The photographic archive section features black-and-white reproductions of Magong neighborhoods, temple festivals, and markets, spanning from the mid-Japanese colonial period through the 1970s and 1980s. For visitors familiar with Penghu’s place names but unfamiliar with its earlier appearance, this section tends to prompt the longest pauses. The exhibition uses no audiovisual effects, but the information density is substantial — plan to spend at least an hour and a half to take it all in properly.
Getting There and Nearby
Several bus routes serve the “Living Museum Station,” stopping directly at the museum’s main entrance with virtually no walking required. From Magong Main Station, the journey takes about 10 minutes by bus; cycling or walking from Magong Harbor along Zhongshan Road heading east takes approximately 15–20 minutes. On-site parking is limited; taking the bus is recommended, or park at a nearby public car park in Magong and walk over.
Nearby attractions connect naturally. A 10-minute walk south leads to Duxing Village Military Dependants’ Cultural Park, which offers a different perspective on Penghu’s post-war migration history; visiting both sites makes a complete half-day cultural itinerary. Heading west into central Magong, a 15-minute walk brings you to Tianhou Temple (a national monument), the Four-Eyed Well, and Central Old Street in sequence. This east-west cultural axis can be completed entirely on foot and is one of the most rewarding walking routes in central Magong.