100-year-old pharmacy preserves traditional Chinese medicine culture

Opened in the Period of Emperor T'ung-Chih, this 100-year-old traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal pharmacy was the first Qing Dynasty house to be built in Xikou Old Street. It has witnessed the changes of Xikou Township for 150 years and is an important piece of local historical architecture.

Today, the culture of traditional Chinese herbal pharmacies has gradually waned; however, with a fully intact building structure and a wide variety of traditional Chinese medicines still on display, Xikou's 100-year-old herbal pharmacy remains a key landmark in the area. What's more, the pharmacist-cum-grandmother, Zhang Liu-su (張劉素), continues to share the traditional method for dispensing herbs with customers and tourists.

Though Xikou's 100-year-old Chinese herbal pharmacy may one day be swallowed in the sands of time,its importance to Xikou Township's annals of history and the cultural preservation of traditional Chinese herbal pharmacies will remain unwavering.

以下為中文對照

百年藥鋪　中藥文化的守護者

開業於同治年間的百年中藥鋪是溪口老街的第一間清代街屋，見證了溪口鄉150年來的變遷，是當地重要的歷史建築物。

在今日，雖然中藥鋪文化已經式微，但保留舊有建築構造的百年藥鋪依然藏有各式各樣的中藥材，成為了溪口鄉的重要標誌，而藥鋪主人張劉素婆婆為觀光客演示傳統配藥技法的身影也不曾間斷。

溪口百年中藥鋪或許會消逝於時間的洪流，但相信它會在溪口鄉的鄉土史與中藥鋪的文化保存史中屹立不搖。

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