Lin family residence and garden
The residence and garden of the Lin family are located in New Taipei 's Banqiao district and are around 20,000 m² of buildings and gardens from the mid-19th century. The complex is an outstanding example of the architecture and garden culture of the late Qing era and is probably the best-preserved property of its kind in Taiwan .
history
The merchant dynasty founded by Lin Ping-Hou made a fortune trading rice and salt in the mid-19th century. Lin Ping-Hou came to Taiwan from Zhangzhou with his father Lin Ying-Yin .
At that time there was armed clashes between immigrants from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in the Taipei area . Because of their wealth, the Lins became one of the leading families of Zhangzhou immigrants.
The Lins first built a fortress-like residence in what is now Taoyuan . The family owned large estates in the region. In order to be able to collect the taxes of her tenants , she built the Biyiguan farm complex in Banqiao around 1847, which became the starting point for the later estate. Lin Ping-Hous's sons Guo-Hua and Guo-Fang commissioned the construction of a three-yard complex next to Biyiguan in 1851, which became the residence for the entire Lin family. The three courtyard complex was completed in 1853. In front of the three courtyards, a crescent-shaped pond was created in accordance with the rules of Feng Shui . It was not only intended for decoration, but was also intended to protect the property in the event of an attack.
A garden was laid out next to the courtyard, which was expanded after the construction of another five courtyard. Several buildings were erected in the garden, for example the Ji-Gu library or the Fang-Jian complex, which has a pond and a small theater stage. Guests were received in the Ding Jing House. The courtyard in front of the hall is bordered by artfully decorated walls, which can be reached through two large moon-shaped gates.
Lin Wei-Yuan had the buildings restored in 1888, and the various squares were also combined into a common ensemble. The work lasted until 1893. The two-story Guan Jia House collapsed in 1907, but is now accessible again after many years of restoration work.
In 1949, after the civil war lost by the Kuomintang , war veterans were housed in the garden. It was then inhabited by squatters.
In 1977 a large part of the garden was transferred to Taipei County (now New Taipei). The garden and its buildings were restored and opened to the public in 1982.
The three courtyard complex is managed by an association closely related to the Lin family and can be viewed after registration.
Web links
Coordinates: 25 ° 0 ′ 40 ″ N , 121 ° 27 ′ 16.6 ″ E