In October 2022, the X-Basic team and the local Maoao team Sandiao Cape Cultural Development Association jointly assisted Mr. Chiang Ming-Hsien, the owner of Maoao stone houses at 28 Fulian Street and 15 Fuxing Street, in obtaining the Maoao Stone House Preservation and Regeneration Star Project. On October 17th, under the accompanied effect of a typhoon, a groundbreaking ceremony for the stone house restoration project was held in the wind and rain. During the preparation for the ceremony, the X-Basic team members warded off wind and rain in order to light the incense in the northeast monsoon. We also worked together to hold up the groundbreaking banner, sincerely praying for the safety and smoothness of the upcoming project.

Stone houses are fishing village settlements in Taiwan’s northeast coast, built with local stone materials to adapt to the natural environment. Key features to preserve include the withstanding the northeast monsoon and ocean surf, the artistic quality reflecting the local environmental colors, and the cultural significance containing the fishing village’s developmental history. Although the environment of the fishing village was harsh in the past, neighbors would always help each other. From the construction of stone houses, daily fishing and harvesting, to the procession activities of the local Liyang Temple, life in the stone house settlement was always carried out together.

For the X-Basic team, accompanying the stone houses from field investigation and project application to groundbreaking has been the same. We have experienced Maoao’s extreme heat and cold winters together with the local team and the homeowners, never missing the story of any stone or tile. On the day of the groundbreaking ceremony, the timely northeast monsoon allowed everyone to experience something of the daily life of local residents, while also evidencing the resilience of the stone houses, which remain standing in the wind and rain even with only one wall left.

In the future restoration project, the X-Basic team will transform this wall that has withstood wind and rain into stronger stone houses. This will create new spaces for local residents but also, through innovative planning and use, allow the features and stories of the stone houses to continue to be built upon, just like the stones that have been piled up generation after generation.