On October 6, we had the privilege of speaking with Pei-Chen Li, a community planner from Taiwan and the chairperson of the Xiamen Straits Urban and Rural Development Foundation, at the site of a cultural renovation project dedicated to the renowned Taiwanese writer Lin Yutang in his hometown.
“Lin Yutang held his hometown close to his heart and often captured its landscapes in his writings,” Li shared. “Our rural development project embodies that literary essence and nostalgia in its spatial designs.” As she stood by the Huashan Stream in Banzi Town, Li and her Taiwanese team detailed their plans for buildings shaped like smoking pipes, which pay tribute to Lin Yutang’s iconic pipe.
Since 2014, Pei-Chen Li has been actively involved in rural renovation efforts in Xiamen, helping revitalize villages throughout mainland China. In 2023, she led her team to Baonan Village in Pinghe County, Zhangzhou City, the ancestral home of Lin Yutang.
“Shared cultural ties with Lin Yutang have created a foundation for our collaboration,” Li mentioned during our interview. When she learned about the Lin Yutang project, she eagerly reached out, hoping to develop a vibrant cultural and tourism industry that reflects the “Yutang spirit,” thereby enhancing the local night market economy.
Her team is currently working on four projects across three towns and four villages in Pinghe County, with the Lin Yutang initiative being one of their key focuses. This project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with a total investment exceeding 3 million RMB and covering approximately 1,481 square meters.
Li plans to name the building after Lin Yutang’s influential philosophical work, “The Art of Living,” which will be embodied in its pipe-like design. “We’re not demolishing old structures; we’re revitalizing them to breathe new life into unused spaces in the village,” she emphasized.
“The ‘Art of Living’ will consist of four unique levels,” Li explained. The ground floor will feature a cultural design and creative area, along with a café inspired by Lin Yutang’s literary works. The second floor will house an exhibition hall and meeting rooms to showcase the outcomes of 19 rural development projects the Taiwanese team has been involved with since 2021. The third floor will offer a free workspace for teams engaged in cross-strait exchanges, fostering collaboration and inspiration. Finally, the fourth floor and rooftop will have an outdoor tea bar, creating a vibrant social hub for younger visitors.
As of now, the exterior renovations for the pipe-shaped building are complete, and adjacent to it are two striking buildings shaped like pomelos. Li noted that Pinghe County is known as the “Hometown of Guansha Honey Pomelo,” and these new structures were specifically designed to foster the integration of agriculture with cultural tourism. Local restaurants have already seized the opportunity to rent these new spaces.
Li and her team have ambitious plans to connect people from both sides of the strait with Lin Yutang’s nostalgic legacy. “We could turn Lin Yuhua Stream into a ‘time tunnel’ that narrates Lin Yutang’s story or compile local specialties inspired by the cuisine he cherished,” she proposed.
Reflecting on her journey since arriving in Xiamen in 2014 and now working in Zhangzhou, Li described her experiences as a blend of respect and passion. “It feels like fate,” she shared. “I studied at a university in Yangmingshan in Taipei, where Lin Yutang also lived. I often passed by his residence and grew fond of his literary works. I have always yearned to see the landscapes, local delicacies, and architecture he described in Zhangzhou.”
Since Pinghe County was the first place on the mainland from which people migrated to Taiwan, working here in Lin Yutang’s ancestral region has allowed Li to deeply sense the lasting emotional bonds between the mainland and Taiwan. She believes that the cultural, folkloric, and familial connections between Pinghe and Taiwan hold immense value and often encourages fellow Taiwanese to visit. “It’s not just about uncovering opportunities here; it’s also about experiencing the warmth of local culture, which nurtures a sense of belonging and achievement.”
In recent years, Pinghe County has been planning the development of a cultural core zone dedicated to Lin Yutang’s legacy, which will include the creation of exhibition halls, a multi-functional conference center, a Chinese culture pavilion, tea rooms, and landscaped outdoor spaces to establish the Lin Yutang cultural brand and promote cultural exchanges across the strait. Li acknowledges that transforming Lin Yutang’s literary descriptions into tangible experiences remains a journey ahead—“a challenge, yet also a pathway for growth.”
From enhancing rural environments and restoring ancestral halls to mentoring young people in building eco-friendly farms, Pei-Chen Li has found a platform to realize her dreams in the expansive fields of mainland China.
