Shekou Lin Residence - Daifu Hall Introduction
During the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty, the ancestors of the Lin family settled in Anli She (now Shengang District) in Taiwan. During the Tongzhi period, in the Daitiao Chun Incident, Lin Zhenfang assisted the Qing army in suppressing Daitiao Chun, and the Qing court awarded him the title of "Zhongshu Ke" and a plaque. The Shekou Lin Residence was built during Lin Zhenfang's most prosperous time. It was originally a renovation of the old Wu Zhang residence. The initial scale was completed around the first year of the Guangxu period (1875), while the Hulong Wing was expanded in later years as the family population increased. The entrance tower of the Shekou Lin Residence is a single-story building with a width of three bays, featuring a simple design. Upon entering the entrance tower and passing through a long corridor, one can see the first main hall, which features a simple recessed shou (longevity) design at the entrance. The second main hall also has a recessed shou design, with a walkway providing a broader semi-outdoor living space. The courtyard in front of the main hall has paved tiles arranged in various patterns, with the herringbone pattern being the main design, symbolizing "prosperous descendants and perpetual life." The stone carvings in the Lin Residence are exceptionally exquisite and quite rare in Qing dynasty residences. The entrance hall and main hall both have decorative carvings on the "Diniu" (the legs of the counter). The central door plaque in the entrance hall reads "Daifu Di" (The Scholar's Residence), and the walls on both sides feature colorful and delicately shaped decorations made from Chaozhou pottery, showcasing various styles. The two high walls separating the courtyard and the side yard are mainly constructed with dou-ganged bricks, mostly in red, with a pebble foundation. The walls have small openings for gunfire. In the main hall, there is a scroll-shaped plaque hanging from the door frame, but the text has been lost and its content is unknown. Wall decorations feature exquisitely crafted hexagonal wooden flower windows, with four triangular "tazhao" at the corners, each sculpted with a bat representing "blessing." The wooden support of the walkway is decorated with "Han Fan Carrying the Big Beam," which is quite amusing. The altar table and spirit cupboard in the main hall belong to the same period, thus sharing a similar carving style and theme. The altar table's legs are intricately carved, but the grand master chair in the main hall has been lost. The main hall's roof structure is a "chuandou" type, without the use of melon tubes, and the paintings on the left and right walls are of an elegant style, some bearing inscriptions from the first year of the Guangxu period, which serves as important evidence for dating the construction of the Lin Residence. The "dou bao" on the roof frame of the wing on both sides is carved with crabs, symbolizing success in the imperial examination (the second rank being called "Er Jia"). The paintings in the Shekou Lin Residence are also beautifully crafted. From the characteristics of the painting style, it can be identified that they were done by famous painters like Guo Youmei and Guo Tingke from Lukang. Their decorative paintings are mostly found in late Qing residences and temples in central Taiwan, with few surviving today, occupying an important page in the history of Taiwanese art, making it exceptionally precious.
