Over a century ago, British Presbyterian missionaries preached in Pinghe County from Zhangpu County in Fujian Province. Rev. Carstairs Douglas, the "Apostle of Southern Fujian" of the Presbyterian Church of England, built two preaching stations in Wuzhai Township in 1872. After that, they frequently visited villages to preach, capturing many valuable photos and materials from the local culture.
Recently, Director Zhuang Enfeng of the Wuzhai Church in Pinghe County shared a missionary's old photograph in an online group chat. The group members agreed that this earth building is the "Siyong Building" in Puping Village, Wuzhai Township, which is a historical and cultural site under provincial-level protection in Fujian. Its name "Siyong" (meaning thinking about eternity in English) resonates with the teaching in the Bible: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2 NIV)”
It’s heard that Mr. Lin Xiangzhai, the grandfather of Mr. Lin Zhilian in Puping, Wuzhai, possessed a unique porcelain-making skill. He made a fortune doing porcelain business in Guangdong and returned to Puping in his latter years to settle down, establishing the "Feng Chui Chan Lou" earth structure. His grandson, Mr. Lin Zhilian, was resolved to construct a taller one when he grew up.
In 1727, Lin Zhilian constructed the second earth structure, naming it "Siyong Building," which means "thinking about eternity." This earthen building took three generations to build.
Siyong Building is a building-within-a-building structure with a total construction area of around 1,500 square meters. It is a distinctive building form called an "umbrella structure," also known as a "building-centered earth building," with a low outer ring and a "convex" overall shape that resembles a historic castle from the European Middle Ages.
The Lin family had a beautiful tale of both brothers succeeding in the imperial examination soon after the completion of the Siyong Building. In the Qianlong period, a descendant of the Lin family residing in the Siyong Building passed the imperial examination as Juren (ranked sixth), while his brother achieved Jinshi (ranked fourth). The emperor later awarded them in recognition of their achievements.
In 1746, Lin Shi, the fourteenth-generation grandson of the Lin family, departed from the "Siyong Building" and sailed to Taiwan. Later, the family prospered and rose to prominence as the Lin family of Wufeng District in Taiwan, earning recognition as one of "The Top Five Families in Taiwan" alongside the Yan family of Keelung, the Lin family of Banqiao, the Gu family of Lukang, and the Chen family of Kaohsiung.
After a century of vicissitudes, the "Siyong Building" has been in a state of dilapidation. In previous years, the Pinghe County Government began to restore and renew this Taiwan-related earthen building, and a "Memory Hall of Moving to Taiwan" is also under construction nearby.
(The article was originally published by the Gospel Times and the author is a Christian in Fuzhou, Fujian.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
