Lin Chunze’s Residence

Lin Chunze’s Residence

Lin Chunze’s Residence is a cultural heritage site protected by Fujian Province.

Lin Chunze’s Residence is located on Shuixilin Street in Nanyu Village, facing east with its back against Taiping Mountain. The main building is a grand three-courtyard, five-bay structure.

The first courtyard features a palatial-style gatehouse situated along the central axis, a single bay with bat-wing walls, a single-eave hip-and-gable roof, and two wing rooms on each side. Inside the gate is a courtyard flanked by side rooms.

The second courtyard is the main hall, with a width of five bays. The central three bays form the main hall, which is six bays deep and thirteen frames tall, featuring a post-and-lintel wooden structure with extensive use of brackets and dougong blocks. The carvings are simple yet exquisite, and the roof is a flush-gable type with firewalls.

The third courtyard, known as Mingren Ruitang (Famous People’s Auspicious Hall), is a two-story wooden pavilion with a five-bay facade. The upper floor is four bays deep and nine frames tall, while the lower floor has an additional bay and two frames both at the front and back. There are two staircases: one located in the rear hall and the other in the right wing room.

It is said that the Shuixilin clan residences were originally built during the Song Dynasty. In the 13th year of the Jiajing reign (1534 AD; some say the 16th year, 1537 AD), a fire broke out, destroying the entire Shuixilin Street. The following year, Lin Chunze’s eldest son, Lin Yingliang, rebuilt the residences on the original site.

At the age of sixty (the 19th year of the Jiajing reign, 1540 AD), Lin Chunze was dismissed due to jealousy and slander, and he constructed the “Jinxī Cǎotáng” (Brocade Stream Thatched Cottage) on Zhouting Mountain in Nanyu to spend his later years in leisure.

In the 7th year of the Wanli reign (1579 AD), when Lin Chunze reached the age of 100, Zhao Yan, Minister of War, inscribed the plaque “Liùcháo Dàlǎo” (Grand Elder of Six Dynasties) for him.

In April of the 11th year of the Wanli reign (1583 AD), Lin Chunze passed away at the age of 104.

After 1949, a resident once carved the characters “Rénruì Táng” (Auspicious Hall of a Longevity Elder) in front of the steps of the rear hall, but the character “Táng” (Hall) was left unfinished when the person was taken to a “study class.”

In March 1989, Lin Chunze’s Former Residence was designated as a cultural heritage site protected by Minhou County.

In September 2008, Professor Lu Bingjie from Tongji University surveyed the Ming Dynasty ancient street of Shuixilin and conducted a preliminary evaluation of the value of these Ming and Qing architectural complexes. In November 2009, Luo Zhewen, head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s Ancient Architecture Expert Group, visited Nanyu Town and suggested applying for “Provincial-Level Protection” under the name “Lin Chunze Ancient Residential Complex,” with aspirations to seek “National-Level Protection.”

In February 2013, as part of the Shuixilin Ancient Street, it was included in the eighth batch of cultural heritage sites protected by Fujian Province.

Nanyu Town: Nanyu Town is located in the southern part of Minhou County, at the foothills of Qishan Mountain and west of the Dazhangxi River. It faces Nantong Township across the Zhangxi River to the east, borders the Nantai Island of Fuzhou City to the northeast, adjoins Getangqian Township of Guoling County in Yongtai to the southwest, and connects to Shangjie Town to the north, covering an area of 170.5 square kilometers. It governs 23 administrative villages and one residents' committee, with a population of 16,205 households and 56,305 people recorded in 2000. The town government is located in Nanqi Village.

The town is named after the Jinxi River that runs through it, with the south bank called Nanyu (South Islet) and the north bank called Beiyu (North Islet, also known as Shuixi). During the Song Dynasty, it was divided among Haiping Li, Lingfeng Li, and Suiping Li of Xiuren Township in Houguan County... More details about Nanyu Town++