Mustachioventures: House Visits: Shilin Main Presidential Residence and Lin Family Mansion and Garden

Sunday, November 16, 2014

House Visits: Shilin Main Presidential Residence and Lin Family Mansion and Garden

The Shilin Main Presidential Residence

No. 60 Fulin Road, Shilin District, Taipei City

Tuesday to Sunday 930AM to 12NN and 1PM to 5PM

Admission Fee NT$100 (about Php150)

English audio guide available (ID required)

No picture taking inside the house

The Shilin Main Presidential Residence (left) and Chiang Kai–Shek's car (right)

Chiang Kai–Shek lived in this house for 26 years, starting in 1950. Not the entire house is open to the public, but the areas open to the public, like the living rooms, banquet hall, dens, studies, bedrooms, with the help of the audio guide, provide insight into the life and work of Chiang Kai–Shek and his wife.

I found the tour interesting (did you know that Chiang Kai–Shek was Christian? and that his wife liked to read English books and liked to paint?) and would recommend a visit to this house (don't forget to borrow the audio guide).

Directions to the Shilin Main Presidential Residence: Take the Tamsui–Xinyi (Red) Line to Shilin Station, Exit 2. The Shilin Main Presidential Residence is about 10 minutes by foot from Shilin Station (see map below).

Lin Family Mansion and Garden

No.9, Ximen St., Banqiao Dist., New Taipei City

Daily 9AM to 5PM

(Closed every first Monday of the month, Chinese New Year's Eve, and Chinese New Year's Day)

Free admission

English guided tours must be booked a week in advance.

The main house was closed for repair work during my visit and visitors were only allowed in the garden...which was quite big and maze–like. The large garden with its halls, pavilions, studies, ponds, walls with windows of different shapes, and engravings on wood, stone, brick, bombarded my senses. It was unfortunate that I was not able to book an English tour in advance and had to look at all these details with a big question mark on my forehead.

Visit the Lin Family Mansion if you are interested in history and architecture as the Lin Family Mansion is "one of the finest examples of Qing period houses" (according to a brochure I read) in Taiwan. Be sure to book their English guided tour a week in advance.

Directions to Lin Family Mansion and Garden: Take any of these buses: 264 / 701 / 702 / 1073 and get off at Lin Family Mansion and Garden. OR take the Bannan (Blue) Line to Fuzhong Station, Exit 1. Lin Family Mansion and Garden is about 8 minutes by foot from Fuzhong Station (see map below).