Former Residence of Lin Run (Including Former Residence of Lin Lanying)

The Former Residence of Lin Run (Including Former Residence of Lin Lanying)

The Former Residence of Lin Run (Including Former Residence of Lin Lanying) is a cultural relic protection unit of Putian City.

The Former Residence of Lin Run (Including Former Residence of Lin Lanying) is located in Goutou Village, Xialin Subdistrict, Chengxiang District, and is categorized as an ancient building.

The residence of Lin Run is also known as the “Yushi Dafu Mansion,” originally located on Xiawu Lane in Putian’s urban area. It was built in the first year of the Longqing era of the Ming Dynasty (1567). At that time, the residence was grand in scale, facing south with its back to the north, and had seven main gates and twenty-one smaller gates along the street. The main gate bore a plaque inscribed with the words “Jian Chen Shi Di” (Residence of the Remonstrating Official); the lintel above the gate featured five bold regular script characters reading “Yushi Dafu Mansion.” The couplet on the gate read: “The prestige of the Nine Clans is great; the legacy of the remonstrating officials endures long.” Inside, there were four halls, flanked by principal rooms, wing halls, side rooms, and enclosed wings, all built with traditional post-and-lintel timber structures, interspersed with courtyards and large brick-paved open areas. Each hall formed an independent unit with its own entrance, creating an overall layout that was both well-organized and clearly hierarchical, with meticulous spatial planning. The design ensured excellent lighting, ventilation, and drainage. The entire complex originally covered nearly 6,000 square meters. Over the course of 400 years and through renovations in various eras, the main buildings have retained the distinctive characteristics of a Ming Dynasty official’s residence. In 2002, due to urban redevelopment, the most central part of the residence was relocated in its entirety to the southeast side of the new campus of Putian No. 1 Middle School. The government allocated substantial funds for the restoration, preserving the original appearance of Lin Run’s former residence.

From a high vantage point on campus, one can see that the Lin Run residence complex has a distinct north-south central axis. Along this axis, a series of continuous, symmetrical halls and rooms creates an imposing architectural sequence that gradually descends from south to north. Upon closer inspection, the first feature is a screen wall; passing it, you arrive at the south gate, where the characters “Yushi Dafu Mansion” on the lintel, though worn, remain legible. On either side of the gate are spiral-shaped guardian stones, exuding an ancient charm. Entering the south gate and proceeding northward, you will find, in sequence, the lower hall, middle hall, and the embroidered tower. Courtyards separate the various halls and wing rooms, with corridor rooms on either side of the courtyards. The lower hall is the first section of the main residence, distinguished by particularly refined layout, structure, and ornamentation. Its most notable feature is the deep overhang of the eaves at the front and rear, each extending three meters, resulting in especially spacious corridors. Due to the extended rear eave, an additional room was added to the usual configuration of one hall and four rooms in the rear section, creating a unique layout of one hall and six rooms. The main hall is seven meters wide and employs the distinctive Ming Dynasty technique of raising beams and shifting columns. Both the front eaves and the interior beam structures feature simple yet elegant carvings—an extremely rare feature among Ming-era residential buildings in the Putian-Xianyou region. The east wing room, parallel to the lower hall, originally served as a reception room, with the rear ancestral shrine section partitioned off by eight lattice doors, retaining an antique interior arrangement.

To the east of the Lin Run residence was originally a small alley, so a row of enclosed wing rooms—five in total—was added along the lane, with a door opening to the east in the middle room. The side gate resembles the format of the south main gate, except that the lintel is inscribed with the characters “Shi Jian Chen Di” (Residence of the Remonstrating Officials Through the Ages), and the guardian stones in front of the gate are square instead of round.

It is worth mentioning that the Lin Run residence is also the former home of Lin Lanying (1918–2003), a renowned contemporary Chinese semiconductor expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Lin Lanying lived in this ancient dwelling from birth until she went to study in the United States. As a municipal cultural relic protection unit, the Lin Run residence houses the “Lin Lanying Memorial Hall.”

The Former Residence of Lin Run (Including Former Residence of Lin Lanying) is a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit of Putian City.

Protected area: an extension of 5 meters outward from the surrounding walls.

Lin Run (1530–1569) was a native of Xiawu Lane in Putian, Fujian, during the Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name was Ruoyu, and his pseudonym was Niantang. He passed the imperial examination during the Jiajing era. He served as magistrate of Linchuan County before being promoted to imperial censor of Nanjing, where he fearlessly opposed the powerful. He became a Jiajing-era imperial scholar in the 35th year of the Jiajing era (1556 AD). He initially served as magistrate of Linchuan (now west of Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province) and was later appointed as imperial censor of the Shandong Circuit in Nanjing.

During his tenure, Lin Run upheld integrity in court and dared to harshly punish evildoers. He successively impeached Shen Kun, the sacrificial wine official, for murder, exposed the five major crimes of Yan Maoqing, a close ally of Yan Shifan, and submitted memorials accusing Yan Shifan (son of Yan Song) and Luo Longwen of treason.

Lin Run lived in an era of internal and external… More details on Lin Run ++

Lin Lanying (female, February 7, 1918 – March 4, 2003) was a scientist specializing in semiconductor materials. A native of Putian, Fujian, she graduated from Fujian Union University in 1940 and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. She was a researcher at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She dedicated her career to semiconductor material science research and was one of the pioneers of China’s semiconductor science. She led the development of China’s first silicon, indium antimonide, gallium arsenide, and gallium phosphide single crystals, laying the foundation for the advancement of microelectronics and optoelectronics in China. She was also responsible for developing high-purity vapor and liquid… More details on Lin Lanying ++

Xialin Subdistrict: Located in the southeastern part of Chengxiang District, Putian City, Fujian Province, Xialin Subdistrict borders Chenghu Road to the east, Fuxia Road to the north, Huating Town to the west, and Xindu Town to the south. It covers an area of 17 square kilometers, with a total population of 20,914, including 5,613 non-agricultural residents. The subdistrict administers 4 communities, 7 administrative villages, 3 Party committees, 2 general Party branches, and 41 Party branches, with a total of 1,326 Party members. The subdistrict office is located in Xialin.

The Xialin Subdistrict Office of Chengxiang District was officially established on May 1, 2002. It is situated in the southeastern part of Putian’s urban area, bordering Chenghu Road to the east and Huating Town to the west… More details on Xialin Subdistrict ++