史料原文/譯文Li Tengfang Mansion, also known as Li Jin-Xing or Scholar Li's Mansion, is a multi-winged, four-section compound (Siheyuan) with two main houses. With a half-moon shaped pond at the front, the space is divided into inner and outer courtyards by two sets of walls between the pond and the main house.
Daxi's Li Family's ancestors came from Fujian. First landed in Tainan, then moved to Yangmei, eventually established themselves as rice sellers in Daxi's Yuemei. Born in 1814, the Li Tengfang came to prominence as he passed the provincial exam and became an official at the (local) bureau, thus prompting Daxi's several name changes.
In 1860, Li built the Mansion as his career soared. The main structure is of two main houses with two sets of winged rooms at each side. Its architectural core is comprised of both the main hall and its hallway that is on the axis of the space, coupled with double-winged rooms. At the deep end of the courtyard, the ancestral shrine is placed at the tallest hall to demonstrate its lofty stance. The side winged-rooms are living spaces assigned according to the Chinese kinship standards, with the elder member using the innermost space, while the younger ones occupying the outermost area.
The Mansion's building materials included red bricks, sandstones, and sun-dried soil bricks. The main house's rooftops adopted the shape of the swallowtail, a symbol for a government official's residence. Both wooden structure of the Main and Entrance Halls are the most sophisticated part of the Siheyuan. The pillars, except for the winged-rooms', were spindle-shaped. Together with the extravagant decor on the post and lintel frame structure, the Mansion accentuated Li Family's superior social status. Ink sketched lines on the whitewashed walls at the Main Hall emanates elegance.
Li Tengfang Mansion is the only designated National Monument in Taoyuan; its ownership belongs to Li Jin-Xing Descendants' Committee. Li's descendants still reside in the Mansion. Its architectural grandeur, elaborate decor and carvings are worth a visit.