Kui Pavilion (Kuixing Tower)

Kui Pavilion, known by Kinmen locals as 'Kuixing Tower', is also called Kuilou Tower or Bagua Tower. It is dedicated to Kuixing, who is one of the Five Wenchang Deities of China. Because Kinmen was not a county in the past and therefore could not build a Confucius Temple, and in order to provide a place for Kinmen's youth to pray for good fortune before taking the imperial examinations, Lin Feizhang, a local gentry from Houpu who had achieved the 'Gong Sheng' (tribute student) title, advocated for its construction. He single-handedly donated a thousand taels of silver, and in the 16th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1836), a pavilion-style building was erected at Tushantou in Houpu (now next to Chen Shiyin's Western-style mansion), dedicated to Lord Kuixing. This exquisitely crafted and venerable structure now boasts a history of over 180 years. It underwent two renovations in the 44th and 52nd years of the Republic of China (1955 and 1963), but its original appearance remained unchanged, and it is designated as a county-level historic monument.