Wufeng Lin Family Garden, Wufeng District, Taichung City, Taiwán 

Long ago, many places in Taiwan were controlled by the so-called five powerful families-Keelung’s Yen family, Banqiao’s Lin family, Lukang’s Koo family, Kaohsiung’s Chen family, and Wufeng’s Lin family. Among the five families, Wufeng’s Lin family was located in Taichung. From the mid-19th century, the Wufeng Lin family in Taichung possessed a large number of fields in central Taiwan.

They further developed a militia numbering thousands of people after they assisted the government to put down regional civil rebellions and participated in the Sino-French War. As a reward, the government granted the family the exclusive right to sell camphor, further extending its economic influence in central Taiwan. The family even founded the best high school in Taichung-National Taichung First Senior High School. When the KMT retreated to Taiwan, the family kept helping the government to win over the local powers.

It also extended its influence to the oligopolistic bank industry, which reveals how enormous was the wealth that the family possessed. The mansion they built and later renovated, whether judged in relation to others of its era or today, can only be described as magnificent.

Epic Taiwan Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound

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