Siwei Village

Siwei Village is a rustic little village located on the north west of Nangan Island (南竿島), which is much deserted nowadays. Siwei used to be called Xiwei (西尾) but after the army of the Republic of China settled here, the name was changed to its current form. After years of rain beating down on the old stone houses, this is a place where you can sense the impermanence of life. The most famous tourist site in Siwei Village is the Matsu Fisheries Research Institute (馬祖水產試驗所), which is the base for the development of aquaculture in Matsu. The most famous seafood in Matsu are mussels and yellow croaker, but here you can see all types of fish and shellfish specimens in the sea area nearby. It really is a wonderful place to gain a rough understanding of the development of fisheries in Matsu. Another tourist site worth a visit in Siwei Village is Xiweijing Tianmu Temple (西尾境天母宮). From its appearance, perhaps you wouldn’t think much of it as a temple. But in this place of Mazu goddess worship, the delicate sculptures on the wall are extremely detailed upon closer inspection. Rock lions have been replaced by qilin (麒麟), which is a good omen symbolizing prosperity and serenity in ancient Chinese legend. In any case, this is a temple that obviously holds a place in the heart of the local people.