Haunted House Cafe beside Minxiong Haunted House @ Chiayi [Taiwan]

To bank on the popularity of arguably the most famous haunted house in Taiwan, it's actually genius to open a cafe right next door, aptly named Haunted House Cafe! 

Maybe because it was daytime, there's nothing scary, and the vibrancy of the artwork was more captivating, rather than exuding an eerie feel.

Right at the entrance, where one can stamp his/her notebook to register their visit. This is quite similar to Japan, although I am not a fan. I remember Kon has one reserved purely for Japanese shrines! 

Insides of the cafe, where I would have lesser risk of being bitten by those vicious mosquitoes not even seen in Singapore! There weren't that many customers and I thought it would be more crowded at night, when thrillseekers would visit Minxiong Haunted House.

But it operated till 7pm only! After clarifying with the operator, it turned that mostly kids would seek paranormal thrills at night and they usually don't have much purchasing power! Haha, well, being realistic is not exactly a bad thing.

Mosquito repellents were available at NT$230. Anti-itch rollers can also be purchased at just NT$150. Both would be considered as essentials, even during the winter period when we visited! 

Piquing my curiosity was a photo frame placed on almost every table; a picture of Minxiong Haunted House. That's not just it by the way; there were numerous layers which you can slowly flip through.

There were detailed information on Minxiong Haunted House, including its origins, the rumours and the facts. Problem is that those texts were in traditional Chinese; I am grateful I read a lot of comic books from Taiwan in the past.

Just look at the photographs will do.

And the above was the most valuable.

It shows Minxiong Haunted House in its better days, before the rise of the roots and vines. There was even a rooftop unit that I didn't even know existed, as the ceiling had already collapsed when I visited.

My drink on the left; black fungus tea (NT$130) which sounded better in its original Chinese name, 黑无常! Now, I thought black fungus tea would have been really weird tasting. In reality, it's really just grass jelly drink; the kind I can get from Lian Yin Hot & Cold Drinks @ Chong Pang Hawker Centre in Singapore! 

Do remember to check out the toilets at the back of the cafe! 

Very interesting urinal for the guys, where more than a dozen eyes would be looking at us peeing. It's daytime so it wasn't as scary, although it can be eerie for some people as the toilets were all the way towards the back, and accessible only from the outdoor passage. 

The passage back to the cafe.

See that stone passage leading to the right?

Would you dare to venture further?

Please do as it's a shortcut to Minxiong Haunted House. But before then, do note to spray with a thick layer of mosquito repellent! Click here for more photographs of the house! 

 

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Address

No 12, Yiqiao, Minxiong Township,

Chiayi County, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Minxiong Haunted House (劉氏古厝民雄鬼屋) @ Chiayi County in Taiwan

My last post labelled "paranormal" was in 2021, almost five years ago! While my interest isn't dampened, it does take a lot more effort on my end given the stress of my work nowadays.

Nonetheless, I did pencil in an interesting place of attraction when I went to Taiwan in 2025, and it's rare for me to do that since visiting a haunted house outside of Singapore has just too many unknowns, and we had to self-drive to the destination, with no guide. 

GPS was a life-saver and we were brought to the correct place. There's even a carpark next to the haunted house, although it's from a cafe, and you are required to make a purchase. We did share with the operator that we shall check it out once we were out from the house. 

Official entrance to the haunted house; technically the area wasn't walled so you can go in from numerous entrances, but I guess "official" is the safest given that the passage would likely be well trodden on. 

Alex decided to visit the washroom in the cafe; so I proceeded to go in myself. It's not that I am super brave, but it's daytime, with the 4pm sun shining bright rays on me. 

Minor obstacles along the way. One advice.

Please note to put on mosquito repellent! 

Something weird happened as I reached this clearing. Remember I was using GPS to get to the haunted house? It was via Google Maps and I switched off the navigation after arrival. However, my phone suddenly announced that "you have reached your destination". That scared the shit out of me, and thankfully, Alex happened to meet up with me. 

Shortly after, we reached the haunted house. 

Minxiong Haunted House (劉氏古厝民雄鬼屋).

Abandoned for decades, the house was built almost a hundred years ago in 1929, in the baroque style said to be grandeur, by a rich merchant surnamed liu. The house is actually still owned by descendents of the merchant. 

Known as one of top three most haunted houses in Taiwan, there were of course numerous stories about the paranormal activities in Minxiong Haunted House; one of which was the suicide of a maid who jumped into the above well. 

Now, I stayed in the village before, and don't understand why this well had such low barrier?! I mean a person can actually accidentally fall into the well! Anyway, it was already filled up with wood and debris. Guess we will not see sadako climbing out of it.

Looks like a headless statue. Maybe for the better as I recall the lion statue in Singapore's red house, which was said to have its head following you as you move in front of it. 

I can so imagine a security guard guarding this place when night falls. No, it's not supposed to be the case, so if you manage to see one, just assumed you have the misfortune of seeing a ghost! 

Despite its "haunted" tag, I think it was still a sobering sight to see nature taking over man-made structures, with vines and roots of trees enveloping the facade of the house. And honestly, it was breathtaking.

Before checking the interior of the haunted house, please be aware that maintenance was lacking and the building might not be structurally sound. Toppled walls and columns can be seen; hence, do explore with care, and caution! 

Main entry point for the haunted house. I saw a few photographs of the house taken a few years ago and the column guardrails on the second floor can still be seen then. The plaque on top had the Chinese words, 兄弟和樂, which means harmony amongst brothers.

Blocked due to collapsed ceiling I guess.

Stepping in from the sides - roots and vines had also invaded the interior of the house, with trees providing a natural canopy instead. There were no ceiling, windows were stripped bare, and I didn't recall seeing any staircase. Even if there were, I doubt I would have the guts to climb up.

Don't bother taking shelter in event of heavy rain as you will still definitely be drenched! Furthermore, there's still the risk of walls collapsing / toppling, especially if you chance upon one of the many typhoons that hit Taiwan every year! 

The house was in a terrible state of disrepair but aside from the GPS incident, we didn't encounter any other paranormal activities. There were rumours of screams, crying etc but I am guessing that happened at night.

Video for viewing pleasure!

Served as an ammunition storage during the world war, please do keep in mind that Taiwan was then already colonized by Japan (1895 till 1945), and the house didn't quite play as a site for a battle. It was, however, said that in one incident, a group of Japanese soldiers shooting one another, resulting in no survivors. All rumours since there wasn't any written evidence. 

The Liu family had come out to clarify, although it's hard to kill rumours that had existed for so long! Designated as a cultural attraction by the county government, I sure hope we would see a different Minxiong Haunted House in the future! 

As we exited from the original path, we noticed a separate passage that looked out to a blue door, like a scene from Alice in the Wonderland. Question, did we proceed to check it out?

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Address

Minxiong Township,

Chiayi County, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)