Taipei - Taiwan - page 187

built in the 1850s, the temple retains much of its southern architectural roots. The swal-
lowtail roof is particularly elegant.
About 100m further along Zhongzheng Rd is smoky Fuyou Temple MAP
GOOGLE MAP (Fúyòu Gōng) . Built in 1796, this beautiful low-lying structure is the oldest
temple in Danshui, and dedicated to Matsu, Goddess of the Sea. Check out the roof truss
over the altar; the topmost posts are carved in the motif 'the fool holding up the sky'.
From the temple head up Zhongzheng Rd to Alley 14 and then walk up the 106 narrow
granite steps to Red Castle 1899 ( Click here ) , a beautiful red-brick heritage building and
now the site of a restaurant and cafe.
Back on Zhongzheng Rd, continue to a roundabout with a large bust of George
MacKay MAP GOOGLE MAP and an astonishing cafe with a staircase winding up the
outside edge of the building. Across from this look for the narrow MacKay Street . Just
up this character-filled lane are two buildings founded by MacKay: his original hospital ,
the first Western hospital in northern Taiwan, and the Gothic-styled Danshuei Presby-
terian Church MAP GOOGLE MAP , reconstructed in 1933.
MacKay Street continues to climb up the hillsides, and shortly after crossing a pedes-
trian bridge reaches an intersection with Zhenli St. The next half a kilometre or so is
known as the Missionary Road, and is one of the most charming parts of all Tamsui. It
begins with the Tamsui Customs Officer's Residence MAP GOOGLE MAP (Qián Qīng
Danshuǐ Guān Shuìwù Sī Guāndǐ; 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun) , built in
1869 after Taiwan was forced open to foreign trade by China's defeat in the Second Opi-
um War (1856-60). This colonial-style bungalow, raised to allow humidity to disperse, is
framed by a long verandah with arched columns.
Just up the road is Tamkang Senior High School MAP GOOGLE MAP , which was
constructed in 1916 to expand the revolutionary girls school Mackay established in 1884
(traditionally only boys were educated). At the far edge of the campus is the Mackay
Family Cemetery MAP GOOGLE MAP (Mǎ Xié Jiāzú Mùyuán) , where Mackay himself is
buried, and the Tamsui Foreign Cemetery MAP GOOGLE MAP (Dànshuǐ Wàiqiáo Mùy-
uán) , the final resting ground of missionaries, sailors, engineers and many others. Look
for a stone building covered in a deep-green algae with a spreading banyan. The grave-
yards are to the right.
Across from the campus is a row of charming late-19th- and early-20th-century houses
with wide lawns overlooking the river. You'll find the white bungalow Mackay lived,
married and passed away in, as well as red-brick mansions built for female and male mis-
sionaries. Only the yellow-coloured Missionary House MAP GOOGLE MAP (Jiàoshì