In 1778, Yingyin Lin moved from Longxi, Changzhou, Fujian, China, to Tamsui Hsing-Chuang in Taiwan (today’s Hsin-Chuang District, Taipei), working as a teacher. He returned to China in 1785. Historical research identifies Yingyin Lin as the first ancestor to settle in Taiwan.
His second son, Pinhou Lin, came to Taiwan at the age of sixteen (1782) to join his father and began working at the Cheng family’s rice factory. Pinhou Lin was skilled in commerce and hardworking, so the Cheng family lent him funds to start his own business. At that time, rice transportation was one of the largest trading industries. Pinhou Lin specialized in rice transport, and due to the sudden Shuangwen Lin incident, rice prices skyrocketed, bringing him great profits.
Later, Pinhou Lin partnered with Shaosian Lin to take over Taiwan’s salt industry, further increasing their wealth. At age forty, Pinhou Lin returned home and served as a government official for seven years. Losing interest in bureaucracy, he resigned in the 21st year of the Jiaqing reign (1816) and settled permanently in Taiwan.
During this period, Tamsui frequently experienced armed clashes between Changzhou and Quanzhou residents. To avoid danger, Pinhou Lin moved to Sanceng (today’s Fu’an Village in Dasi Township, Taoyuan) in the 23rd year of Jiaqing (1818), built fortified mansions, expanded farmland, and earned considerable rental income. He also assisted the government with citizen affairs and petitioned for the construction of Tamsui City. In the 27th year of the Daoguang reign (1847), he built the Bi Yi Guan in Banqiao for rent collection, marking the beginning of the Lin family’s residence there.
Pinhou Lin had five sons: Guodong Lin, Guoren Lin, Guohua Lin, Guoyin Lin, and Guofang Lin. They managed the family’s five main trading shops, named Yinji, Shuiji, Benji, Siji, and Yuanji. Combining the first letters of these shops forms the phrase “Yin Shui Ben Si Yuan” (飲水本思源), meaning “one should always be grateful for what one enjoys.” The family’s business was also called Ben-Yuan.
Among the sons, Guohua Lin and Guofang Lin were the most capable and ambitiously expanded the family business. To avoid disasters during ongoing Changzhou-Quanzhou conflicts, and at the invitation of local residents, the two brothers built the Sanluo Mansion next to the Bi Yi Guan in the first year of the Xianfeng reign (1851). Construction was completed in the third year, and the family moved in. In the fifth year, they built a fortress to defend against harassment.
Soon after, the Lin family built a garden behind the mansion and invited scholars such as Si Cun Lu and Guan Jiao Hsieh as tutors. These scholars also helped promote cultural development in northern Taiwan. The third generation, Wei-Yuan Lin and Wei-Rang Lin, inherited the family wealth and became the wealthiest family in Taiwan. After the Sino-French War, Wei-Yuan Lin assisted Governor Liu Ming-Chuan in cultivating land, supporting local industries, and establishing new farmland management systems. Today, the Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion and Garden is successfully maintained and operated by the current generation.
