Taijiang Shisan Dian Zheng Family Community Museum

The Taijiang Shisan Dian Zheng Family Community Museum is a learning space that highlights Taijiang's pioneering history and looks towards the future. I. Establishment: Several years ago, the ancestral home of the Zheng family in Taijiang Shisan Dian collectively participated in the Taijiang Community Museum initiative, collaborating with the Taijiang branch of Tainan Community University, the Tainan City Bureau of Cultural Affairs, local temples, and schools. They jointly promoted the development of the Shisan Dian Community Museum, based on the concept that 'the village itself is a museum'. In Min-Guo 106 (2017), the four generations of the Zheng family (elders, middle-aged, youth, and young children) reached a consensus and commissioned the team of Mr. Chen Ping-sheng, a Ministry of Culture-approved painter, to restore the Zheng ancestral home and repaint its exterior. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Taijiang branch of Tainan Community University, Taijiang Cultural Center, and other organizations, they established the Zheng ancestral home as the cultural hub for the Shisan Dian community, hosting events such as the Taijiang Greenway Ancestral Home Concert, guided tours of the Shisan Dian Community Museum, experiences of local rural life, cultural path explorations, and school field trips. To facilitate external communication and standardize its name, an application was submitted to the Tainan City Bureau of Cultural Affairs on May 15, Min-Guo 113 (2024), for registration as 'Taijiang Shisan Dian Cultural Workshop'. Registration date: May 29, Min-Guo 113 (2024). II. Objectives: 1. To preserve Taijiang's historical artifacts, develop Taijiang community museums, cultural paths, and historical sites, protect the streams, irrigation canals, and greenways within the Taijiang basin, and promote research and education on Taijiang culture. 2. To utilize the Zheng ancestral home community museum in Dingtoujiao, Taijiang Shisan Dian, as the primary activity base, collaborating with Taijiang Community University, local schools (senior high, junior high, elementary), and communities to organize guided tours and educational activities related to Taijiang's history, education, and culture. The aim is to help school teachers, students, and the general public understand Taijiang's history, geography, and culture. 3. To assist in organizing cultural research and activities related to the Taijiang area. III. Brief History of the Zheng Family's Pioneering Settlement in Taijiang Shisan Dian: 1. Family Brief History: The great-great-grandfather, Zheng Wei, crossed the Zengwen River during the Daoguang era (1821-1850) to pioneer and establish his family in Guanzai Pu. On November 10, Xianfeng 3 (1853), he married Cai Man (the great-great-grandmother), the sixth daughter of Cai Shi from Zongtouliao. They had two children: Zheng Chao (the great-grandfather) and Zheng Ye. Zheng Ye married Chen Sheng from Benyuanliao on November 11, Meiji 26 (1893). The great-grandfather, Zheng Chao, was swept away by river currents when he returned to the north side of the river for ancestral worship on Meiji 35 (1902). At that time, the great-grandmother, Chen Lai (from Xixinliao), was 36 years old. She single-handedly supported the family, cared for her mother-in-law Cai Man, and raised four children. 2. Construction of the Ancestral Home: The original Zheng ancestral home was a thatched-roof, bamboo-walled house located north of the present-day Sanheyuan (traditional three-sided compound). In Showa 4 (1929), the great-grandmother, along with her three sons, began construction of the current brick-built traditional Sanheyuan at this site.