Walking along Xiaomenyu’s trails, you’ll see many typical Penghu landmarks, such as stone steles meant to ward off evil spirits. One distinctive feature of Penghu's farming culture are caizhai, or “vegetable houses,” barriers erected to shield crops from the wind. Most are built with stones found locally, but reed bamboo also serves as crop protection in areas with abundant water sources.

The vegetable houses are special 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 filler. No cement or lime is 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 snake gourds, and Penghu beans. In autumn and winter, cabbage, tomato, and chrysanthemum greens are the main crops. In addition to seasonal fruits and vegetables, sweet potatoes, or "plant mother,” as they’re 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.