Xiaoyu Cottage

Xiaoyu Cottage

Xiaoyu Cottage is a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province.

Xiaoyu Cottage is located in a rock niche of Hudu at Qingzhi Mountain. It is a two-story brick-and-wood structure built with blue bricks. The main section has three rooms arranged in a “one bright, two dark” layout, with a recessed central hall serving as the living room and a covered corridor on the second floor. At the back, a natural cave behind the cottage has been repurposed as a kitchen. To the right, an additional single bay extends outward, with its ground floor elevated on stilts over a large rock, accessed by stone steps below. The property is enclosed by a perimeter wall, and above the main gate are the characters “Chang Guan” (常关), personally inscribed by Lin Sen, symbolizing “the door is always shut though it stands.”

In the 12th year of the Republic of China (1923 AD), Lin Sen was forced to resign as Governor of Fujian and retreated to Qingzhi Mountain. He renovated the Hu-dong Plum Blossom Villa and named it “Xiaoyu Cottage,” inspired by lines from Ye Xianggao’s poem about Qingzhi Mountain — “Hearing a tiger’s roar deep in the mountain lodge at night” — and Zuo Zongtang’s lyrics about Wansong Ridge — “The wind halfway up the ridge carries a howling sound.” The name reflects his desire for a secluded life. During his retreat, he maintained close ties with Juefei, the abbot of Qingzhi Temple, and even built a bone reliquary stupa on the mountain, intending it as his final resting place.

In the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933 AD), the 19th Route Army stationed in Fujian launched a political revolt. Lin Sen, then Chairman of the National Government, returned to Fujian to mediate and stayed at his former residence on Qingzhi Mountain.

In the 32nd year of the Republic of China (1943 AD), Lin Sen passed away in Chongqing due to injuries sustained in a car accident and was buried in the Lin Garden there. In October of the 36th year of the Republic of China (1947 AD), Lin Sen’s descendants petitioned the National Government for the restoration of both the bone reliquary stupa and Xiaoyu Cottage, which was approved. The following year, Rongli Construction Company carried out the restoration work and also landscaped the area around the stupa into scenic spots such as Ao Lake.

Guantou Town: Located on the northern bank of the Min River estuary in Lianjiang County, it borders the Mawei Development Zone to the west, faces the Langqi Economic Development Zone across the Min River estuary to the south, and lies against the county seat of Lianjiang to the north. The Shen-Shan Expressway has an interchange in the town. Covering a total area of 64 square kilometers, the town administers 28 villages (residential communities) with a population of 58,300. It is a national pilot town for small-town construction, one of Fuzhou’s 20 thriving commercial towns, as well as a designated berthing point for Taiwan ships, a hub for cross-strait trade, a key economic town in Lianjiang County, and a well-known hometown of overseas Chinese.

In 2003, the total output value of industry and agriculture reached 1.076 billion yuan, an increase of 21.5%; among them, … Guantou Town detailed information++