Photo taken from: https://reurl.cc/Aqamg8

Jin Shi Mansion

No. 163, Beimen St., Hsinchu City

In 1837, Zheng returned to Hsinchu and built himself and his family a big mansion, which contained 5 sections.

It's unfortunate, however, that 3 sections of it were destroyed in fires during WWⅡ. On stepping into the gate, you can see a blue sign board with " Jin Shi Mansion " on the top of it.

Then, with a closer look, you'll find why the mansion is so famous. The elaborate wood carvings under the roof and the fine engravings on the doors of the main hall prove the artistic and architectural talent of our ancestors.

Zheng's Family Shrine

No. 175, Beimen St., Hsinchu City

The Zheng's Family immigrated from Kimen. Therefore, Zheng Yong Hsi and his cousin decided to build the shrine near the North Gate. 

The shrine was carefully decorated with fabulous woodcraft and stone scupture. 

In front of the gate stood flag holders moved from the Jin Shi Mansion. The stone flag holders were rare for they only existed in the families whose members could possibly become the candidates of the civil service examinations.

The Zheng's Family Shrine isn't open to the public. Yet, on the 15th day of Chinese New Year and the winter solstice, all the Zheng's Families would come to worship their ancestors. It's during these family gatherings that the public could possibly hace a chance to go inside and admire the historical heritge. 

Photo taken from: https://reurl.cc/E7NeQa 

What is " Jin Shi " ?

Jin Shi  was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referred to in English-language sources as Imperial Scholars.

The Jin Shi degree was first created after the institutionalization of the civil service exam. Initially it had been "for six categories" but was later consolidated into a single degree. This system first appeared during the Han Dynasty. Throughout the Tang Dynasty, every year around 1-2 percent of test takers would obtain a jinshi title out of a total of 1-2 thousand test takers.

The highest scoring jinshi in the country was known as the Zhuang Yuan, a term that survives today as a high scoring gaokao test taker or just someone who is very good as a skill.