The Lin Family Mansion and Garden (林本源園邸), or Linbenyuan Residence, in New Taipei City's Banqiao District will transport visitors back to an island of elegance and quiet that stands in stark contrast to the urban frenzy just outside its walls.
The Lin Mansion is not particularly old — it was constructed largely during the period from 1847 to 1895 — but it is interesting to see the care that is being lavished on it and the obvious pride that the local community take in preserving a bit of the past.
Squatters and disuse led many of the fine buildings in the garden to fall prey to pests and rot until 1977, when the Lin clan ceded ownership to the New Taipei City government, but reserving for itself the right to use the original Three-Courtyard House.
Reconstruction and restoration work began in 1982 under the leadership of architect Han Pao-teh (漢寶德), and still continues today. It is refreshing to see how the local community is working to slowly restore the grandeur and majesty that earned the Lin Mansion a reputation not only as one of the finest residences in Taiwan, but one of the few remaining examples of classic Qing Dynasty architecture.