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
一百多年前，英国长老会的传教士从福建漳浦县来到平和县传教，1872年，被誉为“闽南使徒”的英国长老会杜嘉德牧师在五寨乡先后建立了两个传教站。之后他们经常到各村宣教，也留下了不少关于地方人文的珍贵影像资料。
近日，平和县五寨基督教会庄恩峰主任在微信群发了一幅百年前传教士拍摄的老照片，群友一致认为，这座土楼就是福建省级文物保护单位的五寨乡埔坪村的“思永楼”。而其“思永”之名也与圣经中“你们要思念上面的事，不要思念地上的事”的教导有着异曲同工之妙。
相传，五寨埔坪林志连的爷爷林样斋拥有一副烧制瓷器的绝技，在外做生意获得巨额财富，老年回埔坪定居，建了埔坪的“风吹辇楼”土楼。林志连立志长大后要建一座更高的楼。
1727年，第二座土楼由林志连始建，并取名为“思永楼”，意为“思念永远”。这座土楼是历经三代人才建造完工。
思永楼总建筑面积约为1500平方米，是楼中楼结构，是一种特殊的建筑类型的“雨伞楼”，亦称“楼心式土楼”，即外环低，整体呈“凸”字形，观颇似欧州中世纪的古城堡。
思永楼建成后不久，林氏就诞生了一个“兄弟同榜”的佳话。乾隆年间，思永楼里的林氏后代中了举人，其兄弟也中了进士，之后，皇帝给予嘉奖。
1746年，林氏十四世孙林石从“思永楼”走出，渡海到台湾，后发展为台湾的雾峰林家，与基隆颜家、板桥林家、鹿港辜家、高雄陈家并列为“台湾五大家族”。
历经百年沧桑，如今的“思永楼”尽剩残垣断壁，前几年，平和县政府开始对这座涉台土搂进行修缮改造，一个“迁台记忆馆”也于此建设中。
福建平和县思永楼小史
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
A Brief History of Taiwan-Related Earth Building in Zhangzhou, Fujian
