Now known as the Lukang Historical Image Museum, the building sits along Zhongshan Road in Lukang's historic district in Changhua. Originally established by Dr. Hsu Tu in 1925, the structure blends the red-brick walls and carved window lattices of Southern Fujian architecture with the timber craftsmanship of the Japanese colonial era and the reinforced concrete of Western influence. It carries within its walls a century of memory belonging to both a family and a town. As a fourth-generation descendant of the Hsu family in Lukang, Dr. Hsu Jeng Yuan undertook the restoration of the old hospital, transforming it into a cultural space centered on the photographic image.

The original examination room and its medical instruments remain intact, and the Japanese-style tatami room of Huang Shi-yi, Dr. Hsu Tu's wife—along with her trousseau furniture—are preserved exactly as they were. Yet the museum's most extraordinary holding is the archive left by Hsu Jeng Yuan's father, photographer Hsu Tsang-tse: 250,000 negatives documenting Lukang's streetscapes, temple festivals, wedding banquets, and the textures of daily life.

Images, Flavors, and the Memory of Home

The Hsu family's ties to Lukang run deeper than medicine, photography, and music—they are rooted in the land itself. In his youth, Hsu Jeng Yuan played in a band alongside musician Lo Ta-yu, a Mandopop icon; today, he guards his hometown through images. His 95-year-old mother, Shih Hsiu-hsiang, still makes her daily visit to the old house to light incense—a quiet, steadfast expression of the family's bond with this place.

Hsu Jeng Yuan recalls that the happiest moments of his childhood began with pocket money pressed into his hand by his mother, followed by a dash to the market with friends to eat mian xian hu (thick wheat noodle soup), yu wan (taro dumplings with meat filling), shi jin mian (mixed noodles), and you yu geng (squid thick soup)—the traditional snacks that formed the flavors of his youth. His memories are shared by countless Lukang residents; these are the tastes of a collective childhood. Those flavors are still very much alive in Lukang's old streets. Suzu Taro Ball shop sources fresh taro from Dajia District, Taichung City, producing balls with a rich fragrance and a firm, satisfying filling. Wang Wang Mian Xian Hu—with nearly a century of history—simmers its broth from dried shrimp, then tops it with strips of braised pork and wisps of egg drop for a deeply savory finish. At Lukang Rou Geng Quan, the geng—a smooth, subtly sweet thick broth served with squid and pork slices—has kept locals returning for generations.

Today the museum is not only a repository of history but a stage for new creativity. The restoration team has set up a dessert stall on the ground floor, serving hand-rolled aiyu jelly shaped into an edible camera—modeled after the Nikon S2 that Hsu Tsang-tse favored. Where images meet flavor, the living memory of Lukang is stirred once more, and the old house earns its name: a time projector, linking past to future.

☛　The Lukang Historical Image Museum has been selected as one of the Ministry of Culture's inaugural 100 Culture Bases.