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On
the hillside of Yangmingshan mountain sits a single
house with a blue-glaze tiled roof, whitewashed walls
and Spanish spiral pillars, surrounded by a greenery-filled
yard. This is the former residence of famous early-20th
century writer Lin Yutang. When entering through the
Western-style archway, what comes into view is an elegant
open-sky courtyard. In one corner, there is a small
fishpond surrounded with green bamboo, sweet gum plants
and Chinese wisteria. It is here that Dr. Lin enjoyed
watching the fish with a fishing rod in hand. The rooms
in the house open up to each other in typical Chinese
style.
The home's former dining/living room is today known
as the "You Bu Wei Zhai" salon and is a good
place for visitors to enjoy a meal or glass of tea.
The long balcony was where Dr. Lin usually could be
found wandering around. He once wrote, "At dusk
after dinner, having finished work, eating pieces of
watermelon, I sit on the balcony and relax in this cool
place by myself, with a pipe held with my mouth, sometimes
having smoke, sometimes not. Watching the front hill
slowly sinking in the vagueness of dim night, the lamplights
shining down at Tienmu, and cool breezes gently blowing,
I am sometimes thinking about something, but sometimes
not. What a fortunate man I am!"
During the day, you can enjoy a clear view of the sky
and take in the distant Tamshui River. At night, you
can likewise gaze at the moon and night scenes. At dusk,
there are scenes of Mt. Guanyin and the glimmering setting
sun. All this is a reflection of Dr. Lin's cozy, tranquil
attitude towards life.
Dr. Lin advocated humorous literature and gained the
title of Chinese "Master of Humor". "A
speech should be like a woman's skirt--the shorter the
better." This witty remark, which makes people
smile, is by Dr. Lin. His work and experiences stretched
over over Eastern and Western cultures, as he earned
academic degrees from Shanghai's St. John's University,
Harvard University and University of Leipzig. He wrote
in both Chinese and English throughout his life, and
is famous for "The Life and Times of Su Tunpo",
"Moment in Peking", "The Importance of
Living", "A Leaf in the Storm", "The
Vermilion Gate", "The Wisdom of Lao Tse",
and other works. Among them, his work "My Country
and My People" really was a great hit when released
in the U.S. in 1935.
Dr. Lin contributed greatly towards introducing the
spirit of Chinese culture to the West. Besides his reputation
as a linguist, philosopher, literary man and traveler,
Dr. Lin was also an inventor. From the small originality
of device to help squeeze toothpaste to the big invention
of a "fast typewriter", plus an indexing system
for the lower and upper shapes of Chinese characters,
specially designed for a typewriter. This system was
the forerunner of the modern Chinese input methods,
and is exhibited in a glass display case by the wall.
Other belongings of Dr. Lin, including manuscripts,
letters, books, a desk, glasses, pipes and clothing,
are completely preserved. Leaving the uproar of city
and admiring Dr. Lin's house and his great deeds makes
for an enjoyable, worthwhile visit.
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141, Yangte Dadao, sec. 2, Yangmingshan
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Tel: (02) 2861-3003
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Open 9 am-5 pm (closed Mondays)closed Mondays,10 am-9
pm, 9 pm/ You Bu Wei Zhai dining hours: 10 am-9 pm
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http//www.linyutang.org.tw
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Getting There: City buses 260 and 303, or minibuses
15, 16 and 17, or the No. 5 red bus to
YongFu stop. Parking is available in the car park situated
diagonally across from the house.
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