Cai Ting-Nan was the only presented scholar (Jinshi) from Penghu. He was born in 1801 (the 6th year of the Jiaqing reign in the Qing Dynasty) and passed the Xiucai examination at the age of 13. In 1835 (the 15th year of Daoguang), after taking the provincial examination in Fuzhou, he boarded a ship in Kinmen to return to Penghu, but encountered a typhoon and was drifted to Annam (modern-day Vietnam). After traveling overland for more than 100 days, he finally boarded another ship and returned to Penghu. He wrote Hainan Zazhu (Notes from Hainan), the first travelogue from Penghu introducing foreign customs. In 1837 (Daoguang 17), he passed the Juren (provincial graduate) examination, and in 1845 (Daoguang 25), he passed the Jinshi (national scholar) examination with distinction.
After becoming a Jinshi, he became the first official from Penghu to serve outside the province. He passed away at the age of 59 while still in office. Two years after passing the Jinshi exam, in 1847 (Daoguang 27), he returned to his hometown, Shuangtougua (modern-day Xingren Village), to honor his ancestors and built the Presented Scholar Residence (Jinshi Di) beside his former home as a memorial. After its completion, Chai was stationed in Jiangxi, and most of his descendants moved away, so he entrusted clan members to manage the residence.
The structure of Cai Ting-Nan’s Jinshi Residence is similar to that of an ordinary house, except for swallowtail ridge decorations above the main door and side wings, indicating its official status. The central hall features a three-bay, six-panel door, expressing the distinction of a government residence. The layout reflects the hierarchy through its appearance. The building occupies an area of 168 square meters (approx. 51 pings), with a width of 11 meters and a depth of 15.3 meters. It is a traditional Penghu-style residence with four surrounding rooms and a central courtyard. On the front façade, a basalt stone plaque is engraved with the characters “進士第” (Presented Scholar Residence).

Recommended Duration of Visit: 1 hour

Source: Penghu Travel