Kinmen Travel

In 1934, Chen Rui-you, a successful merchant in the South Pacific, gave his relative Chen Te-Hsing 20,000 silver dollars to set up the "Ruiyou School" for their hometown of Bishan in Jishan Township. The plans for the school called for an assembly hall, classrooms, staff rooms, staff dormitories, a sports field, a flagpole, a kitchen and bathrooms. The entire site would cover around 20 acres with a third used by buildings. The Western-style main building had two stories and was built from stone, brick, granite and timber. The verandah columns and stairs at the front of the building were all Quanzhou marble sourced from Jingjiang. The main beams for the assembly hall were Kapur timber shipped from the South Pacific, while the walls were made of custom red brick imported from China. The building was insulated against the wind and heat so it stayed warm in winter and cool in summer. The front façade imitated the Baroque style with a large and eye-catching gable roof. The gable was decorated with the clay sculptures of the national flag, the Nationalist Party flag, Indian police and marching band, flowers, plants and cranes. These remain well preserved today.