Taiwan’s traditional architecture is a branch of the southern Chinese style, brought over from the mainland by immigrants from the Minnan region of Fujian Province.

They are distinguished by red roof tiles red brick walls, a symmetrical layout around a central courtyard colorful paintwork, stone or wooden carvings and highly decorated roof ridges (for temples).

Pictured here is the Fengyi Tutorial Academy, Front Square in the Fengshan District in Gaoxiong City.

These are examples from Kinmen County, Taiwan

Most of the roofs found on dwellings in Taiwan are in hard mountain style. This style can be divided into two types, horseback and swallowtail. The horseback is found on the homes of ordinary people, and is in simple hard mountain style.

The swallowtail roof, on the other hand, has sweeping eaves, and it is limited to official dwellings and temples.

There are many different types of traditional style residences in Taiwan, but most are variations and expansions on the central theme of the “san-he-yuan” ( 三合院 ), a central building with two wings attached.

The wealthy class of Chinese people would often set up a garden in the back or to the sides of the compound.

Two example of relatively large and well-known residences of these types are the Lin Family Compound (林家花園) in Banqiao (板橋), a suburb of Taipei, and the Lin Family Compound (林家花園) in Wufeng (五份), near Taichung (台) Of the traditional Chinese style structures remaining today, most are either elaborately designed temples or family mansions.