Xingang Bantou Village

Most temples in Taiwan are decorated with colorful tiles. Some of the tiles make pictures of Azure Dragon, while others illustrate White Tiger. Still others put sculptures of deities directly on top of temples. But the colorful "tiles" in Taiwan has a proper noun－Koji Pottery. Because the making of Koji Pottery is rather complicated, the pottery is easily to be broken in the process. Since the handmade artwork requires lots of time and care from the craftsmen, only the temples visited by tons of pilgrims can afford it. In addition, as it is expensive, most Koji Pottery is placed on the rooftop, where usual thieves cannot steal the pottery easily. Almost all the exquisite handmade decorations in Taiwan originate from the same place－Xingang Bantou Village.

In the village, more than 60 craftsmen have been making Koji Pottery for more than two decades. It is said that 70% of Koji Pottery is made inside the town in its heyday. However, since the pace of building new temples has slowed down, and because the government hopes to market small villages with their own features and stories, Xingang Bantou Village is developed along with the community. Now visitors can see Koji Pottery mosaics decorate streets and walls. Along the road between the old rail and the field, visitors can see sculpture of oxen pulling carts, a bench with a painting of an old man and a lady on it, as well as artistic mosaic-made screens in the frames of old TVs. On the wall, there are also artistic creations remembering the lives in the former agricultural village. Besides, old-fashioned bicycles and farm tools surrounding the old Taiwan Sugar Train Station help to understand the past of the village. Although the scorching sun in summer may lower people's willingness to explore the village, visitors are sure to discover the small surprises hidden in the village in a patient stroll.