The Lin Family Charity Estate

　　   In the 24th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1819), Lin Pinghou, a resident of Jishang Village in Baishi, who had become wealthy through land reclamation in Taiwan, was moved by the hardships faced by his fellow clan members back home. Determined to provide assistance, he selected the area of Tantou in Jishang Village to build the Lin Family Charity Estate. After nearly two years of construction, it was completed in the first year of the Daoguang reign (1821).

　　   The estate covers an area of over 4,500 square meters, with 99 rooms and a built-up area of 2,500 square meters. It is constructed with brick and wood, featuring a hanging gable roof and a quadrangle layout. The structure consists of three two-courtyard buildings arranged side-by-side, with a single-eave, flush-gable roof. The wooden beams, shrines, and other architectural elements are adorned with exquisite carvings, making it one of the notable charitable institutions in Fujian at the time. A stone stele inscribed with "Lin Family Charity Estate" by Lü Shiyu from the Qing Dynasty is preserved on-site. The overall structure of the estate consists of three adjacent, two-courtyard southern Fujian-style mansions. The front section is built with bricks, while a two-story long building stands at the rear, complemented by east and west wing rooms that encircle the entire estate. Stepping into the manor, one finds it neat, spacious, classic, and dignified. It is said that there was originally a rectangular, golden wooden plaque inscribed with "Yongze Hall," which hung above the central mansion’s gate. Most of the surrounding low walls have now collapsed. This charitable building complex was considered a large-scale public welfare institution in the old society. Before the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, large quantities of rice and cotton cloth were shipped annually from Taiwan to support the impoverished members of the Lin clan in the Shiměi area, alleviating their living difficulties and effectively contributing to social stability at the time.

　　   The Lin Family Charity Estate stele was embedded into the wall when the estate was completed in the first year of the Daoguang reign (1821). It consists of twelve finely polished dark bluestone slabs, measuring 3 meters in width and 1 meter in height. The inscription details Lin Pinghou’s journey to wealth in Taiwan, the main process of establishing the charity estate to support his fellow clansmen, the financial sources used for relief efforts, the management personnel, and the rules governing the operation of the estate.

　　   In 2006, as a historical building from the Qing Dynasty, the Lin Family Charity Estate was included in the sixth group of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites by the State Council.