[Taichung 台中 ☼ DayTrip日游] Wufeng 霧峰 : Wufeng Lin Family Garden 雾峰林家宮保第园区 @ Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in Jul 2019 >

Synonymous with Taichung's Wufeng District is undisputedly the prestigious Lin Family - 雾峰林家 (not to be confused with Taipei's Banchiao Lin Family 板桥林家). Hence, no visit to Wufeng will be complete without setting foot in their former residence - Wufeng Lin Family Garden 雾峰林家宮保第园区. (Note: the official website does not convey an English name, and there are several versions online.) As the clan grew, the now-historical landmark expanded into two sections, the Upper Mansions 上厝 and Lower Mansions 下厝. Unfortunately, most of the carefully preserved grounds were destroyed in 2009 September 21's earthquake (commonly referred to as the 921 Earthquake, believed to be the second most severe quake in Taiwan's history). What has been painstakingly reconstructed for public appreciation is still very much a must-do on your Wufeng itinerary.

From Guangfu Village 光復新村 5 bus stops away, I alighted at Wufeng Post Office 雾峰邮局 bus stop (alternatively Wufeng 雾峰 if you are approaching from Wufeng Market 雾峰市场) - before 2pm and was guided by ample street signages to the attraction in 15 minutes.

⇩ Distracted enroute by ubikes, these are well utilised in Taiwan, boasting many stations and ease of rental. The commendable part is, riders are generally responsible and deserted bikes do not cause a public eyesore, unlike where I come from (and subsequently losing such rental bikes as operators could not run a viable business).

Surprisingly, the neighbourhood surrounding the attraction retains an ordinary charm, contrary to what I would have imagined of major attractions - shopping carts, hawkers and cabbies inundating the vicinity. Perhaps kept under control by Lin Family who owns much of the land around its residence (purely my guess). Additionally, the street here is clean and wide, according due respect to the landmark.

Arriving at my destination...

⇩ Queuing in line for a ticket. For an admission fee of NT$250, I enjoyed a guided tour (in Mandarin), reserved online weeks before the visit. (Slots are pretty popular.)

⇩ An audio pack is part of the guided tour, and requires a photo ID OR NT$1000 to be deposited with the ticketing booth. (I opted for the latter as I only had my passport with me.) Visitors who arrive early before the tour are welcomed in the premises, but reminded to gather near the ticketing booth punctually. My group had about 20 of us adults.

⇩ The stitched image spans the earlier mentioned Upper and Lower Mansions, and the blue star marks our current location at the central courtyard named Gong Bao Di 宫保第. This is a section of the Lower Mansions, in actual fact the original residence despite being named so, and also the primary zone opened for public viewing.

Our guide was knowledgeable and humorous, peppering her narrative with Q&As and many interesting nuggets of info. Was pretty glad there was a guided tour to follow, for deeper understanding of the times, clan and landmark.

Midway through the 45-minutes or so guided tour, we sat down for a quick break and enjoyed complimentary tea (chilled, and welcomed in the summer heat). (This is also a good time to visit the lavatory.)

Continuing through the maze of narrow back alleys, we came to a really beautiful part of the residence - Da Hua Ting 大花厅, loosely translated as Great Flower Hall.

⇩ Stairway to the backstage

Likely a must-have in wealthy households for hosting banquets, and commonly seen in period dramas, a grand hall and alfresco seating area face an exquisite theatre stage. One side of the structure is ladies-only, demonstrating the social norm and ettiquette of those days. (At the time of our visit, there was some minor maintenance going on.)

The stage structure was indeed a breathtaking piece of work. Certain months of the year, the hall is also opened for night tours with music/opera performances.

The grand hall is flanked by portraits of notable Lin Family members who contributed significantly to Taiwan's history, politics and economy.

The last part of the tour brought us through an exhibit of artefacts collected through the family's illustrious history.

The guided tour basically ends here, after which visitors can still walk the premises on their own. (The locked theatre hall requires a number pin that is provided to ticketed patrons.)

Just in case you are looking for F&B here, you can only find a small selection of drinks and popsicle in summer, in the rest area where we had complimentary tea, and a small retail shop at this end point. In any case, eating and drinking are prohibited in most parts of the attraction, and you are better off searching eateries in the vicinity.