The oldest school in Houbi District.
Jingliao Elementary opened in 1911 as "Jingliao Public School" — the oldest school in Houbi District. It was renamed "Jingliao National School" after the 1941 revision of Taiwan's education ordinance, passed through the name "Houbi Township No. 2 National School" and back to "Jingliao National School" after World War II, and became "Tainan County Houbi Township Jingliao Elementary School" in 1968. Its wooden auditorium, office building, and Japanese-era flag platform were designated a Tainan historical building in 2003, among the best-preserved Japanese colonial-era school complexes in the region.
菁寮國小創校於明治44年（1911年），初名「菁寮公學校」，是後壁區歷史最悠久的學校。民國30年（1941年）臺灣教育令修訂後改名「菁寮國民學校」，其後歷經「後壁鄉第二國民學校」，戰後再度恢復「菁寮國民學校」之名，民國57年（1968年）改為「臺南縣後壁鄉菁寮國民小學」。校內的木造禮堂、辦公室與日治時期升旗台於民國92年（2003年）被列為臺南市定古蹟，是本地區保存最完整的日治時期校園建築群之一。
What makes this school worth knowing.
🏛️ A Tainan Historic Building
臺南市定古蹟
Its wooden auditorium, office building, and Japanese-era flag platform were designated a Tainan historical building in 2003, among the best-preserved Japanese colonial-era school complexes in the region.
🌾 Students Grow Rice by Hand
學生親手種稻
Students grow rice in a paddy field behind the school, using natural farming methods from transplanting through harvest — a hands-on link to local farming culture.
🎬 Made Famous by "Let It Be"
因《無米樂》聲名遠播
The school and surrounding Jingliao Old Street became nationally known after the 2004 documentary "Let It Be" (無米樂) profiled elderly local rice farmers.
🏫 The Oldest School in Houbi
後壁區歷史最悠久
Founded in 1911 as "Jingliao Public School," it remains the oldest school in Houbi District.
At the heart of "Let It Be" country.
Jingliao Elementary sits at the literal center of "Let It Be" country — the Jingliao (菁寮) community that the 2004 documentary 無米樂 made famous nationwide, portraying elderly local farmers who continued traditional, low-mechanization rice cultivation even as the rest of Taiwan mechanized. The school carries that heritage directly into its classrooms: students grow rice by hand in a paddy field behind the campus, following natural farming methods from transplanting through harvest, so that the "Let It Be" way of farming is not just a memory captured on film but a lesson still taught to every graduating class.
Find the school.
731 Houbi District, Tainan City, Taiwan (Molin Village; also recorded as Jingliao Village)
731台南市後壁區墨林里282號（亦見登記為菁寮里菁寮282號）
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Jingliao Elementary School and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.