Brick carving is also called brick engraving. The hue of carved bricks can be classified into two kinds: orange-red and greenish lime. The Lin Family Mansion and Garden inherits the Southern Min style and features red bricks as its main construction materials. The carved bricks in the residence are all red. They display diversified themes on low walls, inscriptions over the front door, wall corners, and arch gates.
Moreover, there are two ways of carving. The first one is called “yao-qian-diao,” which means carving before firing and it has another name “soft carving.” The other way is “yao-hou-diao,” which means firing before carving and it is also known as “hard carving.” After the carving is done, the bricks are placed in the necessary positions of the architecture. The carving is painted with white-gray paint or blue-gray paint in order to signify the theme.
The paralleled opposite walls in the palanquin hall, the living room, and the back hall of the Three-row-house Mansion all feature classic brick carvings. Facades on other brick walls are stacked with bricks into different patterns, including tortoise shells, eight diagrams, and crosses. They are rich in diversity.
The front walls of the first entrance in Ding-Jing hall in the garden are stacked with octagonal red bricks which are finely made. The paralleled opposite walls at the entrance to the palanquin hall and the second row-house display respectively a pair of carved brickworks. They are destroyed during desolate periods but are restored later. Therefore, we can still take in the delicately carved patterns today.
