After ancestors settled in a certain place, hall name is the proof on the lintel of the house for offspring to pay their respects to ancestors and maintain blood relationships.

The name Zheng came from Ji clan in Zhou dynasty.

King Li of Zhou’s youngest son You was bestowed the land of Zheng by King Xuan of Zhou and named as Duke Huan of Zheng. His son Duke Wu assisted King Ping of Zhou with Marquis Wen of Jin and moved east to Luoyi, Zhenwei area. It was called “Xinzheng” (today’s Henan Zhengzhou Yingyang County). The 13th generation Duke You of Jin was annexed by Han. The offspring was forced to migrate between Chen and Song, and used their state’s name as family name.

After Zheng family migrated into Minnan, according to Zheng Qiao genealogical book, their ancestors were from Yingyang and not Guangzhou.

Therefore Zheng family uses Yingyang as their hall name for offspring to trace their origin and pay respects to ancestors.

According to legends, this Hemei Tieshan Village Zheng Family was built by the offspring of Zheng Chenggong.

Zheng family house is located in Tieshan Village, Hemei Township, Changhua County. Its hall name is written in calligraphy. Almost half of the words are peeling off, but we can still clearly see “Yingyang Yanpai” four words.

The appearance of the main house is more tall and glorious than other normal historical houses.

Its foundation stone and wooden structure are still preserved in its original form, glorious but not over decorated.

• According to the direction of ancestral table, ancestral tablet is normally on the right “White Tiger” side. However in Zheng family house, it is on the left “Azure Dragon” side, very rare.
• Why is ancestral tablet on Azure Dragon side？According to local elder and earlier grandfather generation, its origin can be traced back to the fourth emperor of Southern Ming dynasty─ Ming Zhaozong, Yongli Emperor Zhu Youlang who knighted Zheng Chenggong as “Prince of Yanping” in 1655. After that, Zheng offspring all placed their ancestral tablets on the left “Azure Dragon” side to honor Zheng Chenggong.

Dougong, hanging materials and wooden beams are ingeniously applied to support the roof. Lines of wood carving and hanging cylinders show originality.

The body of main house in Zheng family house is so tall and strong because of traditional truss design and multiple wooden beams.