Eight Diagrams Building

Eight Diagrams Building

The Eight Diagrams Building is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Eight Diagrams Building is located at No. 43 Guxin Road. Originally a private villa built in 1907, its owner, Lin Heshou, was a member of the Banqiao Lin family, a prominent wealthy clan from Taiwan. The Banqiao Lin family originally hailed from Longxi, Fujian. After the First Sino-Japanese War, when Japan occupied Taiwan, the family, unwilling to live under Japanese rule, relocated inland and settled on Gulangyu Island. In 1913, construction was suspended due to funding shortages but later resumed with financial support from the Japanese, and the building was completed in 1920. In 1924, the Japanese Consulate took over the building and established the Kulangsu Branch of the Asahi Gakuen (Japanese School) there. During the Japanese occupation of Xiamen in 1938, it was used as a temporary refugee shelter. Throughout the Japanese occupation, it again served as the Asahi Gakuen. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, the Nationalist Government took over the property as enemy and puppet assets and handed it over to Xiamen University. It now houses the Xiamen Museum.

Architectural Features

The Eight Diagrams Building is situated on the northwest slope of Bijia Mountain and was designed by the Dutch-American architect Y.C. Yui. The building faces north and has a construction area of 4,623 square meters. Its layout features four-sided outer corridors and a cruciform inner corridor. It has three above-ground floors and one semi-basement level. The basement is constructed with granite strip stones, while the corner side rooms have exposed red brick walls, and the rest are plastered white brick walls. The outer corridors on all four sides are lined with large circular pillars. The rooftop of the second floor is flat, surrounded by a parapet wall about 1 meter high. The third floor has a multi-pitched roof covered with red machine-made flat tiles. At the center stands an observation deck topped by a 10-meter-high dome. Entrances are located on the east, west, south, and north sides. This building is one of the iconic structures on Gulangyu Island.

Protected Area

The protected area is bounded by Guxin Road to the east and north, extends 30 meters outward to the west and south, and includes adjacent buildings within the protected zone.

Key Protection Points: The main structure of the building and its auxiliary facilities must be strictly preserved. No new or modified structures are allowed within the protected area. Dormitories outside the protected building are to be systematically demolished, and the height of existing buildings housing the Folk Culture Museum is to be adjusted to ensure that the coastal façade of the Eight Diagrams Building remains unobstructed. During any restoration or maintenance work on the cultural relics, the principle of preserving the original state without alteration must be strictly followed.

Construction Control Zone

The control zone is bounded by Guxin Road to the east and north, and extends 50 meters outward to the south and west from the building, including adjacent buildings within the construction regulation area.

Key Protection Points: The spatial landscape significance of the Eight Diagrams Building as a landmark of Gulangyu Island must be strictly maintained. Other developments on the island must not affect its status as a visual landmark. Moreover, the distinctive dome form of the building should not be excessively replicated. Architectural styles and heights within the construction control zone must not impair or disrupt the integrity of the building’s riverside façade along the Lujiang River.