But only to rise up again. At the end of April this year, the Lin An-T'ai ku-ts'o found a new home in Taipei, in Pin Chiang Park. In a massive, extended undertaking, involving 20,982 planks and beams, 38,093 bricks, 240,050 pieces of tile and 95 windows, the house was taken apart piece by piece and relocated to its new site. Rebuilt by a skilled team of experts, this miracle will allow visitors to see what homes and life was like in the middle of the Ching dynasty, over 200 years ago.

The whole story, however, is a good deal more complex than that. In the 1970s, when modern office buildings and broad boulevards changed the face of Taipei, city planners decided to extend Tun Hua South Road further south to make it a major carrier of north-south traffic. Unfortunately, two-thirds of the Lin An-T'ai residence stood in the way of the project and would have to be torn down.

Torn down! Reaction from the media, architecture experts, and the historical preservation community was swift and intense. Destroying the sole complete example of ku-ts'o architecture appeared completely absurd, avoidable by the construction of an underpass. How could the city be so thoughtless? Actually, the residence had not been registered with the city's various historical preservation departments and thus the ku-ts'o had no landmark status. In addition, construction planners had given residents a year to give their objections to the project, and not one had crossed their desk. Debate continued for over a year, until Taipei mayor Lin Yang-kang made the final decision to take down the residence, and transplant it elsewhere. However, innumerable complications and delays hampered the "transplanting" of the ku-ts'o, such as over the location of the new site, the costs involved, and even the feasibility of the project itself.

Politics aside, whether the original feel of the residence could be reproduced along with the walls and the houses still remained a problem. Says Li Ch'ien-lang, consultant to the project, "During the Japanese occupation, several buildings were transplanted, but they lost their original feel & flavor. They threw on new paint and the result is awful." According to Li Ch'ung-yao, the chief architect, reconstructing the residence was both a learning and strenuous process. Li says, "Only by taking apart the buildings piece by piece can we appreciate how carefully, how finely they used to put together homes. . . but sometimes fixing an old shirt is much more trouble than buying a new one. Likewise, rebuilding the ku-ts'o took maybe six or seven times the effort of building a house from scratch."

Deconstruction and classification of the buildings' parts alone took five months. "Most interesting was that not one nail could be found, anywhere" says Li Ch'ungyao. Workers took special care in deconstructing the residence, soaking the various tiles, bricks, stone and earthworks for four hours before disassembly, so as to make the parts soft and less likely to snap and break. Li also took care of the spiritual aspects of the project, burning incense before the Lin family tablet in order to ward off any outraged family ghosts. The Lin family and the workers also agreed that all valuables and money discovered would be turned over to the family, but all that was found were some copper coins from the early 19th century.

Situating the residence was another matter. Explains Li, "Most Chinese homes face south, to face the sun and avoid the north wind. But in Taiwan, because our weather is considered tropical, most homes slant toward the east or west to escape the heat. Originally, the Lin home faced southwest, as it does in its new location, which is a good thing, since this way it avoids the freeway in the back and looks onto a park."

Some of the original materials used proved to be exceptionally resilient. Over sixty percent of the wood, Fukien fir brought over from the mainland, could be reused in the new houses. Other sections, which had rotted, were replaced by Chinese juniper. The tiles were less durable and over half had to be scrapped. The paint from the period, said Li, was corrosion resistant, but the old coats had already worn away, and it was agreed to leave the residence unpainted.

Regarding the origins of the ku-ts'o, reports say Lin Yao-kung and his wife moved in 1754 from Fukien province to Taiwan, where they settled in what is now Taipei. Later, when one of his sons had established a thriving business, the family decided to build a mansion. To Chinese of the time, this decision meant three things. First, the Lin family had made a fortune and believed its financial situation to be secure. Second, it had produced enough descendants to populate that type of large residence. Third, the family planned to stay in Taiwan for an extended period. In time, their mansion became known as the largest and most elegant in town.

The Lin An-T'ai ku-ts'o had a number of special features. The Ching dynasty had strict rules determining what class of people could build what sort of house, but the relative absence of authority in north Taiwan allowed Lin, who had no official status, to construct a house with upturned eaves, a privilege reserved for the powerful. In addition, Taiwan during this time saw frequent vendettas between families who came from different towns in Fukien. As a result, many kuo-ts'o walls were studded with holes for observation and had arsenals. Perhaps because no residents of the "enemy" town lived near the Lins, their walls were without holes. Boasting extremely fine wooden carvings, the Lin residence also featured an entrance room with pillars built outside of the walls, which gave their ku-ts'o a particularly majestic effect. Most unusual was that the central hall had only one gate instead of the series of gates usually found in such estates.

Visiting the Lin An-T'ai residence as it nears completion today, one is drawn to the play of sunlight, producing inside strong contrasts of light and dark. It seems the house itself is coming to life again. However, despite its resurrection, its removal from Tun Hua South Road leaves the visitor with more than a touch of nostalgia of the past.

(Mark Halperin)

[Picture Caption]

1. Workers went to great lengths to faithfully reconstruct the Lin An-T'ai ku-ts'o. 2. Elevated architect's sketch of the residence. 3. Floor plan of the residence. 4. During the Ch'ing, builders did not use nails but rather fitted houses together.

The frame of the roof with its upturned lines.

1. The ceremony celebrates the completion of the residence's upper beams. 2. From left to right, the architect Li Ch'ung-yao, and the advisers Lin Po-nien, Sun Ch'un-wen, and Li Ch'ien-lang. 3. Every piece of the residence had to be labeled for the reconstruction process.

1. This is the most impressive of the wood carvings. Note the bird, with its wings and body made of old wood and its head and neck made with new material. 2. A craftsman works at restoring the wood carvings.

1. The ku-ts'o as it originally looked, before its removal from Tun Hua South Road. 2. The old walls were constructed with bamboo, covered with a coat composed of lime, sticky rice, and heavily sugared water. The same materials were used in the reconstruction process.

2. Elevated architect's sketch of the residence.

3. Floor plan of the residence.

4. During the Ch'ing, builders did not use nails but rather fitted houses together.

The frame of the roof with its upturned lines.

1. The ceremony celebrates the completion of the residence's upper beams.

2. From left to right, the architect Li Ch'ung-yao, and the advisers Lin Po-nien, Sun Ch'un-wen, and Li Ch'ien-lang.

3. Every piece of the residence had to be labeled for the reconstruction process.

1. This is the most impressive of the wood carvings. Note the bird, with its wings and body made of old wood and its head and neck made with new material.

2. A craftsman works at restoring the wood carvings.

1. The ku-ts'o as it originally looked, before its removal from Tun Hua South Road.

2. The old walls were constructed with bamboo, covered with a coat composed of lime, sticky rice, and heavily sugared water. The same materials were used in the reconstruction process.