Shekou Lin Family Mansion and Garden Introduction
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the ancestors of the Lin family settled in Aili Community, Taiwan (now part of Shengang District). During the Tongzhi period, the Daichao Chun Incident occurred, and Lin Zhenfang contributed significantly to the Qing army's suppression of Daichao Chun, for which the Qing court awarded him the title of "Zhongshu Ke" and a plaque. The Shekou Lin Residence was built during the peak of Lin Zhenfang’s success, originally acquired through the purchase and renovation of the former residence of Wu Zhang. The initial scale was completed around the first year of Guangxu (1875), and the Hu Long Xiang Fang section was gradually constructed over several years as the family population grew. The entrance to the Shekou Lin Residence features a one-story gate tower with a width of three openings, exhibiting a simple design. Upon entering the gate tower and passing through a long corridor, one arrives at the first main hall. The entrance to the hall adopts a simple recessed auspicious style, and the second main hall also features a recessed auspicious design, with a corridor in front providing a wider semi-outdoor living space. The courtyard in front of the main hall has tiled flooring laid out in various patterns, with the herringbone design being the primary motif, symbolizing "prosperity and continuous growth of the family." The stone carvings of the Lin residence are notably exquisite and quite rare among Qing Dynasty civilian architecture. Both the entrance hall and main hall feature decorative elements known as "diu niu" (the foot of the counter), and the central plaque at the entrance hall bears the inscription "Dafu Residence." The walls on either side of the corridor are adorned with colorful and intricately designed Chaozhou ceramics, showcasing a variety of styles. The two high walls that separate the courtyard from the side yard are primarily built using douqi bricks, mainly red bricks, with pebble foundations, and feature small openings for gunfire. In the main hall, a scroll-shaped plaque hangs above the door frame, although its inscription has been lost and its contents are unknown. The walls contain beautifully crafted hexagonal wooden flower windows, with each corner embellished with three triangular "corners," carved with four bats symbolizing "blessing." The decorative woodwork at the entrance is whimsically designed with “Han Fan Carrying the Big Beam.” The offering table and spirit shrine within the main hall belong to the same period, thus sharing similar carving styles and themes. The table legs are exquisitely detailed, though the main hall's armchair has been lost. The roof structure of the main hall is of the “Chuan Dou” style, without the use of cylindrical beams, and the paintings on the left and right walls are elegant works by cultured literati, with visible signatures from the first year of Guangxu, marking it as important evidence for estimating when the Lin residence was constructed. The “Dou Bao” on the roof structure of the houses on either side of the Hu Long Xiang Fang features crab carvings, referring to the "Er Jia Chuan Li" (the second class of the imperial examination), symbolizing passing the imperial examination and achieving academic success. The paintings of the Shekou Lin Residence are also quite beautiful, and based on the characteristics of the painting style, they are attributed to renowned artists such as Guo Youmei and Guo Tingke from Lugang. Their architectural paintings are mostly found in civilian residences and temples in central Taiwan during the late Qing period and are now rare, holding an important and precious chapter in Taiwanese art history.
