Beautiful Chinese Architecture and Gardens at the Lin Family Mansion in Banqiao

If you have any interest in history, architecture, or beautiful gardens, we have great news for you: Taiwan’s best-preserved traditional home is just a short distance from Taipei. Located in Banqiao, the Lin Family Mansion is surprisingly easy to access from the city — just take the blue line to Fuzhong MRT Station and then walk for about ten minutes — and it’s completely worth the trek. Boasting an impressive 4.9 acres of pristine mansions and gardens, it’s well-deserving of its title as one of the “four great gardens of Taiwan.” Keep scrolling, and you’ll see why!

The mansion is the historic home of the Lin family, who moved to Taiwan from China in 1778, and originally made their fortunes selling rice. Over time, they became one of the most influential families in the area. During this period, there were ongoing fights between immigrants from the Zhangzhou and Quanzhou regions of China. The Lin family became the leaders of the Zhangzhou immigrants, and the mansion became their headquarters, where hundreds of militiamen were to stand guard. This shaped the architecture of the complex to include defensive designs, which are pretty neat to look at. To their credit, they used their influence to stop fights between the two factions (the conflict lasted all the way up until the Japanese occupation of Taiwan) and build schools, which saw the mansion become the centre of the city’s development at the time. Read more about the history of the mansion here.

Though the significance of the mansion’s place in history may be lost on you (unless you’re particularly interested), it’s still a really cool place to visit. Not only is it a magnificent example of Qing Dynasty architecture and gardens, but there are lots of interesting nooks and crannies that set it apart from others. For example, take a look at these narrow, winding paths between the walls — they’re lots of fun to explore, for adults and kids alike, due to their maze-like nature. Another example is the banyan tree jail that you saw up above.

Unfortunately, the interior of the mansion is only accessible through a guided tour, but the grounds themselves (where there is plenty to see and enjoy) can be explored freely once you purchase your ticket. Check out this map on their website that shows you their suggested route of exploring the grounds. Guided tours are available in Chinese at 10AM, 11AM, 2PM and 3PM (Tuesday to Friday) with an additional tour at 2.30PM on Saturday and Sunday, but must be reserved in advance if required in English or Japanese. Go here for more details. There is also an introductory video in Dingjing Hall that’s available in Chinese, Taiwanese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Hakka. Just ask a member of staff exactly where it is, and let them know if you need them to select your language.

The mansion and gardens may be a little out of your way in New Taipei City, but they really are magnificent — easily the most impressive in Northern Taiwan. It’s worth a trip for visitors and residents alike, although we would caution that you may not find it very interesting if you don’t tend to like historical buildings or gardens much. If you’re there in the evening and want to make the most of your visit, it’s only a ten-minute walk from Nanya Night Market, which has some awesome food, but none of the big tourist crowds. And if you really can’t bring yourself to make it out there, there’s always the Lin An Tai Historical House in Taipei, which is much less splendid but also closer and free. Shuangxi Park is another pretty Chinese garden in Taipei that is also free.

All in all, we’ve been enamoured with the Lin Family Mansion since our first visit, and we strongly recommend a visit if you’re looking for something beautiful to see. It’s a photographer’s paradise, although you’ll be happy to know that it’s mostly free from the Insta-crowd that is ever-present at Lin An Tai Historial House in Taipei. Although there are rules (no running, drinking or eating inside, etc.) that you will need to abide by, it’s perfectly family-friendly, and would be a wonderful spot for a date.

What’s the vibe?

Beautiful, expansive mansion and garden complex in New Taipei City. Visitors are a mix of tourists and locals, with a range of ages.

Worth it?

We think it’s extremely worth it, but then again, it’s precisely the sort of thing that would interest us. We could definitely name a few people who wouldn’t find the trek to be worth it, so it’s important to consider your interests before you go.

Would you go back?

Heck yeah! We can’t wait to take visitors or even friends who’ve never been.

Last updated October 2019.