Nangan, Matsu · Artist-rebuilt ancestral house and arts café
Little Island Universe
Cao Kai-zhi and Li Ruo-mei spent four years rebuilding a century-old ancestral house on Nangan; it has received visitors as an arts café since May 2026.
Little Island Universe, as reported in Matsu
Wang Chih-chieh · 2026 · News photography; Little Island Universe frame cropped from the published composite
Photograph and reporting: Wang Chih-chieh, Matsu Daily, 2026. Cropped by Look Three Small from the published two-business composite to show the Little Island Universe frame. Editorial use.
Editorial useView source ↗
Cao Kai-zhi and Li Ruo-mei spent four years rebuilding a collapsed ancestral house before it could hold paintings, fired cups, food, and visitors.
Inside Little Island Universe, Cao Kai-zhi and Li Ruo-mei stand in Cao's century-old ancestral house. They spent four years rebuilding it after it collapsed.
The house retains the four-slope, five-ridge roof associated with Eastern Min architecture. Cao worked on the interior himself. In May 2026, it began receiving visitors as an arts café.
Paintings and objects collected by the couple share the room with Li's hand-fired cups and vessels. Books fill the shelves, and the café serves coffee and food.
Visitors can order a meal or coffee and ask which works or vessels are available to buy. The money supports the artists and the place they spent four years making.
The house is at No. 26 in Fuxing Village on Nangan. Plan enough time to look at the paintings and fired work and stay for food or coffee. Fuxing Village is worth walking before you leave.
Get there
Public transport
Reach Nangan by plane or ferry from Taiwan; weather and sea conditions can change either route, so leave meaningful slack around the journey and avoid a tight commitment after the return trip. On Nangan, use local buses, a taxi or a rental vehicle to reach Fuxing Village.
Sources
- Matsu Daily: Little Island Universe trial opening ↗ — Artists, address, hours, four-year rebuild, roof form, and current contents