The Lin Family Mansion and Garden — strictly speaking just over the river in Banqiao, but easily reachable from central Taipei on the MRT blue line — is the largest and best-preserved traditional Chinese garden in Taiwan. Built between 1851 and 1894 by the wealthy Lin family of Banqiao, it covers more than a hectare and combines a formal mansion compound with an extensive Suzhou-style scholar's garden.
The garden has all the classical features — moon gates, painted galleries, lotus ponds, rockeries pierced by tunnels — laid out with great sophistication. The mansion next door is open separately and gives a vivid picture of how a wealthy 19th-century Taiwanese family lived. A 15-minute walk from Fuzhong MRT station.