Lin Family Ancestral Shrine () is an

ancestral shrine An ancestral shrine, hall or temple ( or , vi, Nhà thờ họ; Chữ Hán: 家祠户), also called lineage temple, is a temple dedicated to deified ancestors and progenitors of surname lineages or families in the Chinese tradition. Ances ...

located in East District,

Taichung City Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...

, Taiwan. Built in 1930, the shrine is protected as a city monument.

History

The Lin family is a large and influential clan in the history of central Taiwan and has several subdivisions spread throughout the area, most notably Wufeng Lin family. The original ancestral shrine was located in current-day

Dali District Dali District () is an inner city district in Taichung, Taiwan. Name The name "Dali" originates from ''Tai-li-khit'' (), where ''Tai-li'' refers to the Hoanya aborigines and ''khit'' refers to a bamboo raft's toon. History After the handover ...

. The founding date of this shrine is unknown: a 1952 stone engraving inside the shrine claims that it was during the reign of

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, from ...

, while a 1934 Japanese-era newspaper claims that its 1775. Beginning in 1895, the shrine was moved multiple times; the current shrine's construction lasted between 1918 to 1930. On November 27, 1985, the

Taichung City Government The Taichung City Government () is the municipal government of Taichung, Taiwan. History Taichū City Government was established by the Governor-General of Taiwan and the Japanese colonial authorities on 1 October 1920. Following the hand ...

protected the shrine as a city monument.

Architecture

The Lin Family Ancestral Shrine was designed by Chen Yingshan (陳應杉) and built with the traditional

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

architectural style. The halls are arranged in ''

siheyuan A ''siheyuan'' (; IPA: ɹ̩̂.xɤ̌.ɥɛ̂n is a historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used ...

'' layout with halls that divide the center space into seven courtyards of various sizes. Its walls are made of brick that is structurally reinforced by wooden supports on the inside. Sculptures and paintings decorate the shrine to signify the wealth of the Lin family. Since it was built in the Japanese era, Japanese and European materials and techniques are also visible in the shrine.

Gallery

Taichung Lin Temple5.jpg, A painted door inside the shrine 台中林氏宗祠DSC01750 10.JPG, Intricate wood carvings on the wooden beams and columns 台中林氏宗祠DSC01750 04.JPG, Exterior courtyard with a small tower for burning joss paper

References

{{authority control 1930 establishments in Taiwan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1930 Temples in Taichung Ancestral shrines in Taiwan

History

Architecture

Gallery

See also

References