Walking along the Xiaomen Island trails, you will see many typical Penghu landmarks, like ‘shigandang’, the stone steles meant to ward off evil spirits. One distinctive feature of Penghu's farming culture is Caizhai, meaning “vegetable houses” in Chinese, the barriers erected to shield crops from the wind. Most of them were built with stones found locally, but reed bamboo also protects crops in areas with abundant water sources.

The vegetable houses are unique constructions. First, basalt and coral stone are exposed to the sun to remove impurities and then stacked to form low walls. Larger stones make up the foundation, and smaller ones serve as fillers. No cement or lime has been used. The stones' edges and corners act as tenons, creating a stable windbreak. While the structures may seem crude, they can withstand Penghu's fierce northeast monsoons.

Spring and summer produce in the vegetable houses include pumpkins, Penghu sponge gourds, and Penghu beans. Cabbage, tomato, and chrysanthemum greens are the main crops in autumn and winter. In addition to seasonal fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes, or "plant mother,” as they are called in the local dialect, are also an important crop. However, vegetable houses take a long time to build, and the stone construction materials are hard to find. Thus, this traditional craft is disappearing. Today, most modern vegetable houses are constructed with other materials.