Huazhai Village (花宅聚落) lies in Zhongshe Village, Wang-an Township, and is Penghu’s largest traditional settlement with the most intact overall layout. It has been officially registered as a Significant Historical Settlement Complex under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. The village took shape in the early Qing dynasty; at its peak it housed more than a thousand residents. Walls were built from gu-lao shi (coral reef limestone), and when viewed from above, the settlement fans out in the shape of a flower — which is how the name “Huazhai” (Flower Settlement) came to be. During the second half of the 20th century, large numbers of residents migrated to Taiwan’s main island in search of work. This depopulation inadvertently spared the stone houses from large-scale demolition or renovation, preserving the spatial fabric of a Southern Fujianese fishing village in unusually complete form. Visitors are typically interested in cultural heritage and traditional architecture, or are looking for a quieter corner of Penghu away from the more popular attractions.
What to See
The most rewarding thing to examine at Huazhai is the coral stone masonry found throughout the village. The material was quarried from Penghu’s reef flats: dense and resistant to salt erosion, it was laid in header-and-stretcher or all-header bond courses to form perimeter walls and house walls roughly 80 to 120 cm high. The mottled texture on each surface is the accumulated work of centuries of sea wind, salt spray, and lichen. On some sections you can still make out shell-fossil structures that were part of the original reef — geological details that photograph naturally without any particular effort.
The lane network is another defining feature. Main lanes and side alleys wind along the terrain rather than running straight — a layout said to dissipate the force of typhoon winds before they reach the settlement’s core. Walking through them, the sightline is cut every few steps by a curving stone wall, creating an exploratory experience quite unlike a grid-plan town. The traditional Southern Fujianese gable walls known as mabei (“horse backs,” also called fenghuoshan walls) survive at Huazhai in far greater numbers than anywhere on Penghu’s main island. Looking up at the roofline silhouettes, you can identify different mabei profiles — cylindrical, gold-form, water-form — each carrying its own symbolic meaning and forming a long-studied subject in Taiwanese architectural scholarship.
The temple at the heart of the village serves as the organizing center of the whole layout. From the summit of Wang-an’s Tiantai Mountain, you can clearly see how residential buildings fan out from the temple in a radial pattern, with the outer stone walls tracing the outline of flower petals. This settlement morphology has been documented as a defining example of traditional Penghu village planning.
Getting There and Nearby Attractions
Huazhai Village is on Wang-an Island and is not served by public buses. The route: take a ferry from Magong Port to Wang-an (about 70 minutes); ferries run daily with extra sailings added during peak season. The village is roughly 3 km from the pier, about 10 minutes by rented scooter. If you prefer cycling, the island scenery along the way is worth it, though there is almost no shade — bring water and sun protection in summer. Some travel agencies offer Wang-an day tours with transport and guiding included, which suits travelers who prefer not to arrange logistics independently. For ferry schedules, fares, and booking, see the ferry page on this site.
On the island, combining Huazhai Village, Tiantai Mountain, and the sea turtle conservation area into a half-day itinerary makes sense: the three sites together span less than 5 km, easily covered by scooter. Tiantai Mountain adds a complementary perspective to the cultural visit — from the summit you can see the village’s flower-shaped plan set against surrounding farmland and reef coastline with no obstruction. If you plan to observe sea turtle nesting on a summer night, apply in advance for a permit through Wang-an Township Office or the Penghu County Government; conservation staff lead the tours on-site, capacity is limited, and slots fill quickly during peak season. Scooter rental is available near the pier, and parking is straightforward.