Modern Oasis: The Innovative Green Spaces
Yipu Garden: A Medley of Asian and Western Architectural Flavors in Taichung
Stepping into the heart of Taichung City, you'll find Wufeng District (霧峰去), home to the sprawling Yipu Garden (頤圃), a colorful testament to the Lin family's journey through the Japanese colonial period.
Originally a family of military, commercial and artistic success in the 19th century, the Wufeng Lins rose to fame. Their properties, including a collection of single-story buildings with brick walls and tiled roofs, stand out against the landscape, like a proud heritage proudly on display.
Amidst all that tradition, there's a striking exception—Yipu Garden. With its bright white walls and black tiled roof, it's a stark contrast to the Fujianese architectural style of its neighbors. To the purist, it might seem an eyesore, but for the Lin family, this Japanese-style exterior was a necessary step to embrace modernity.
By the time Yipu Garden was completed in 1914, the Qing empire had crumbled, and Japanese rule in Taiwan had been entrenched for nearly two decades. Its designer, Lin Ji-tang (林紀堂), had his sights on the future. While Yipu Garden certainly bore Japanese influence, there were also Chinese and Western elements—and a secret escape tunnel!—making it a fascinating journey through time.
As you approach Yipu Garden, you'll pass a curving wall and a gate facing one wing of the house, symbolizing a meandering river flowing into the property and its water being captured by one long arm of the building, a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
The Tiger Wing
Entering the property, you'll find a fascinating mixture of symbolism, adherence to fengshui principles, and architectural eclecticism. The wing directly in front of you is symbolically represented by the tiger, which despises loud noise but doesn't mind strong smells, making it the perfect location for kitchens and bathrooms. The kitchen in this wing is remarkably Western, with wooden cabinets, dishware shelves, and a striking floral tile table from the south of France.
The adjacent bathrooms are decorated in the style of Ming Dynasty porcelain, a charming contrast to the modern conveniences they house. The old accounting office now serves as a quaint vegan restaurant, Yipu Vegan, where you can take a moment to soak in the historical atmosphere.
As you enter the inner courtyard, you'll notice a three-sided structure like other Fujian-style houses in Taiwan, but don't be fooled—the resemblance stops there. The covered walkways are influenced by Japanese design, featuring narrow pillars topped with curved braces similar to platforms in several train stations across Taiwan. The interior of the house also boasts a high degree of foreign influence.
The Dragon Wing
The dragon wing, opposite the tiger, is where games and musical performances used to take place. A special room for women can be found at the back, decorated with intricate wooden chairs designed with elongated fingernails in mind and playing card motifs on the floor. To accommodate his Japanese wife, the designer's son built a tatami room here, adding a distinct Japanese touch to the property.
Though the exotic animal zoo behind the main house is now gone, the mansion itself is alive with history, from the secret escape tunnel to the lineage of the Lin family descendants who still maintain the property. The tour concludes with a display of Hanss Lin's racing memorabilia and a vintage Toyota Crown Royal Saloon sedan once owned by the Saudi ambassador, relics of a simpler, bygone era.
Visiting Yipu Garden
Wufeng District is a bit far from central Taichung, but it's worth the journey. Buses 151, 50, 59, 107, or 200 will get you to Wufeng from either the Taichung HSR or railway station. You can also drive, making sure to navigate to "Wufeng Lin's Yipu Mansion" on Google Maps.
English signage is sufficient for a self-guided visit, but guided tours (in Chinese only) are also available through the website wufeng-yipu.com.tw/reservation. With a guided tour, you'll get access to the family's art warehouse and a view of all the historical buildings from the upper-floor balcony.
Regular admission to Yipu Garden costs NT$150, or NT$250 for admission with a guided tour. The garden is open from 10am to 5pm from Tuesday to Sunday.
- Yipu Garden, located in Taichung's Wufeng District, showcases a unique blend of architectural styles, including a somewhat unusual Japanese-influenced roof display on the Lin Ji-tang (林紀堂)-designed building, a stark contrast to the Fujianese architectural style of its neighbors.
- As you explore the home-and-garden lifestyle at Yipu Garden, you'll find that the Tiger Wing, symbolized by the tiger, houses Western kitchen and bathroom amenities, creating a fusion of Eastern symbolism and Western lifestyle.
- Traveling to Yipu Garden in Taichung might take you a bit away from central Taichung, but the journey is worthwhile, as the property offers a glimpse into various periods of Taiwan's history, including not only the Lin family's story but also the display of Hanss Lin's racing memorabilia and a vintage Toyota Crown Royal Saloon sedan.
- The Dragon Wing at Yipu Garden, in contrast to the Tiger Wing, features a Japanese-style tatami room and intricate wooden furniture, reflecting the family's embracing of modernity and an eclectic mix of lifestyle influences.
