One of Taipei’s oldest surviving residences – a southern-Fujian courtyard house built by the wealthy Lin family in the late 1700s. Rescued from demolition and rebuilt near Yuanshan, it pairs swallowtail roofs and a defensive moon pond with garden calm. A quiet, photogenic, free cultural stop.
One of Taipei’s oldest surviving residences – a southern-Fujian courtyard house built by the wealthy Lin family in the late 1700s. Rescued from demolition and rebuilt near Yuanshan, it pairs swallowtail roofs and a defensive moon pond with garden calm. A quiet, photogenic, free cultural stop.
Updated June 20, 2026
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Highlights亮點This is one of those places that feels like stepping into a quieter Taipei. You come for the architectural details and the garden calm – the kind of ‘small beauty’ stop that makes a trip feel richer.
It’s also genuinely old. The Lin family, who had migrated to Taiwan in the 18th century, built the main hall in the 1780s, making this one of the oldest residences in the city. Best of all, it’s free.
Lin An Tai is a textbook example of a southern-Fujian (Minnan) sanheyuan — a U-shaped compound where a central main hall is flanked by symmetrical wings, all opening onto an interior courtyard. The layout reflects the values of a large traditional family: the ancestral hall and the most senior members occupy the centre, with younger generations and service rooms arranged out toward the wings, so the architecture itself maps the family hierarchy.
Moving through it slowly is the whole point. Notice how thresholds, screens, and changing levels gently guide you from public to private space; how the courtyards bring light and air into the heart of the house; and how the brick, timber, and carved details were chosen to display the family’s wealth and learning. After the density of the modern city, the calm and order of the compound is striking, and it’s easy to imagine daily life unfolding here two centuries ago.
The house was originally built by the prosperous Lin family at what is now Siwei Road in Da’an District. By the 1970s it had deteriorated and stood in the path of road expansion. Rather than lose it, Taipei City carefully dismantled and rebuilt the structure at its present location near Yuanshan, and it opened to the public as a museum in 2000, with a courtyard expansion following in 2010.
The design follows the classic southern-Fujian (Minnan) courtyard form. In front of the house lies a crescent ‘moon pond’ that served practical roles – defence, water supply and fire control – as much as beauty. Look up for the upturned swallowtail roof ridges, and notice the stonework: some materials arrived as ballast on merchant ships crossing from the mainland.
Lin An Tai works best as part of a Yuanshan/Zhongshan culture day. Do one main museum, then come here for a slower, more intimate kind of looking.
Quick answers to common planning questions.
Official pages and references for planning details.
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Tip: hours, prices, and seasonal schedules can change. When something matters (like a museum ticket or a special exhibition), check the official listing before you go.