The Streets

Understanding Baroque Buildings

Appreciation of Sin-hua Old Street begins with understanding what is Baroque. Baroque architecture is a new style of architecture that arose in the mid-17th Century in Europe . It is classic, strong, and impressive building exterior. It features oval spaces, curved surfaces and volumes, has many colors, decorations, and sculptures, and is especially concerned with the decoration of stairways and entrances. The main characteristic is the outward appearance that seems to be sculpted and complex flowers and grasses decorations. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan worked hard at adopting European culture. Therefore under Japanese governance, European architectural styles were brought in, creating a fashion trend after being imitated by local builders.

Because Baroque architecture has clear lines, form, and many decorations, every building is slightly different on Sin-hua Old Street . The distinction between them is that the buildings constructed around 1921 used Taiwan juniper, but those in 1937 were generally built with steel beams and cement. The overall effect of the outward appearance can only be described as luxurious. The high and jutting mountain walls, complex and delicate flowery designs, and magnificent column design decorations show the splendor of Baroque-style imitations. Most of the construction materials are washing stones and red brick.

In Taiwan Sin-hua Old Street , in order to become more representative among the people who imitate Baroque on the Old Street , the builders who were paid a lot of money devoted all their thoughts to building a series of houses with different styles though still harmonious, on a street with an obvious slope. West-side Street was done with the R.C new method under Japanese rule. At the time, the Japanese government built modernist houses from Ma-dou Village , Tainan City , to Sin-hua Village , until World War II, and then built no more of such houses in southern Taiwan . This Modernist construction form left for Sin-hua Old Street two important historical relics of different styles, which is rare in Taiwan . An entire row of Baroque houses without destruction or reconstruction is praiseworthy and perfect in terms of artistic integrity.

Introduction of Sin-hua Old Street