| Description | Tainan｜Sai Kau Kin Old HouseGold in the Gutter, An Old House that Spans Three CenturiesWalking at an unhurried pace through the narrow streets of the old capital city, you turn down Xinyi Street, walking past a mixture of residences both old and new. Eventually, you stop before an old wooden door painted white with couplets handwritten on red paper framing the doorway - on the horizontal scroll above the door are the characters for Sai Kau Kin Old House. You lightly push the door open, feeling the wealth of stories it must contain, and are seemingly transported a century into the past to a beautiful bygone time.The story begins with a smelly riverSai Kau Kin (literally “The Bank of the Open Sewer”) is the name of the northernmost tributary in Wu Tiao Gang (“Five Channels Harbor”). In olden days, it was used for the storage and transportation of the city’s sewage waters, hence the rather smelly sounding name. Built in 1897, the old house of today’s visit is located on the bank of this river channel. After construction of the Tainan Canal was completed, the accumulating silt and sludge filled up the channel, at which time residents in the area began to expand their dwellings outward and upward, creating the Sai Kau Kin living environment that we see today.As you set foot in Sai Kau Kin Old House, the simple wooden construction, the bamboo and wicker furniture exhibits the classical style of life in Tainan. James, the owner of the guesthouse, chose the name Sai Kau Kin Old House in the hopes of preserving the local culture, and of giving people a place to enjoy a life of freedom and ease. The roof beams overhead, the pebble-inlaid flooring underfoot, and the red brick wall all preserve the traces of history. More than a hundred years ago, during the era of Japanese occupation, the Japanese came to Tainan to implement plans for urban renewal and tore down many old city walls and buildings. The workers from the local harbors collected these bricks dating back to the era of Dutch occupation and the Ming and Qing dynasties, using them to build their own houses.Deep conversations with an old soulThis is a house that spans three centuries, as well as James’s old family home. Over forty years ago, James’s father bought this old house to provide his parents with a place to enjoy their golden years in peace. However, his parents later moved elsewhere, after which time this old house sat vacant for over twenty years. It wasn’t until 2011 that James decided to return to live in Tainan, with the belief that, “The true value of Tainan is to be found in these old laneways, these old houses, and this culture.” Thus he set about rebuilding the old building into a guesthouse with the intention of sharing memories and stories of the past with his travelling guests. Illuminated by the warm sunshine, travelers climb the steep wooden steps, arriving at the “Ballast Room” which is decorated with collected items from James’s travels through Europe when he was a young man. “This house is like a centenarian, it actually has a soul!” Continuing on, James invites you to walk barefoot upon the wooden floorboards, which sing their creaky song with every step you take.As you climb even higher, you reach the top-floor sleeping quarters. On a peaceful afternoon, you recline on the old sofa lost in thought, and looking out across the sloping open balcony which has no enclosing walls, you see all the neighboring rooftop balconies. Turning around, you notice that behind you there is another sliding door which connects to the “Matsu Room” in the attic. Looking out from the small hatch-like window, you feel like a child again, hiding in a small corner and peering out at the scenery of the laneways below. In the tranquility of night, you close your eyes, the gentle smell of rushes accompanies you as you drift into dreams of olden days.Still, the story of an old city continuesIn the morning, with Sai Kau Kin Old House as your starting point, you begin to walk along Xinyi Street. This place is different than other cities - there are no high-rise apartment buildings, only short old single-story houses one after another. These gifts that time and history have left to the city reveal the culture and enchanting atmosphere of which the people of Tainan are so proud.Xinyi Street lies between the Matsu Building and the Jifu Temple, and so receives the protection of these two great deities. It is the kind of precious land found in legends, and the place where James was born. After growing up, he backpacked around Europe and Asia, travelling to Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China, even experiencing the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tiananmen Square incident and other significant historical events, all of which nourished him to become who he is today. Afterwards, he attended advanced courses at Tokyo College of Photography. After returning to Taiwan James and his wife first decided to return to Tainan to establish their own photography studio. After striving for more than twenty years, they happened to encounter the Foundation of Historic City Conservation and Regeneration. Deeply moved by their philosophy, it was after this time that James began to operate his guesthouse and put down roots in the local culture.Beyond the operation of his guesthouse, James also devotes his efforts to putting on all kinds of different activities pertaining to arts and culture, establishing Sai Kau Kin Old House as an arts and culture space to increase interaction and exchange within the community. Check-in to Sai Kau Kin, sip a cup of tea, savour the slow passage of time, and look forward to the memories written down by each and every traveler who comes by to visit. |
