In the autumn of Beijing's Xicheng District, the unique tranquility of the old city flows among the gray-tiled roofs and blue bricks. Strolling along Nanliu Lane, a traditional Chinese gatehouse with gray tiles and a wooden door stands quietly – this is No. 40 Nanliu Lane – the Jinjiang Guild Hall (former residence of Lin Haiyin). Recently, this century-old building, originally built during the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, officially opened to the public, welcoming readers and tourists from all over with its new look as the "Lin Haiyin Literary Exhibition Center."
"Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road, the fragrant grass stretches to the horizon..." The moving song "Farewell" from the film *My Memories of Old Beijing* has accompanied the growth of several generations and carries the precious "Beijing memories" in countless hearts. This film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Taiwanese writer Lin Haiyin, whose character "Yingzi" was based on her own childhood.
From 1931 to 1939, Lin Haiyin spent her unforgettable childhood and adolescence at the Jinjiang Guild Hall. The Jinjiang Guild Hall was originally the residence donated by Wan Zhengse, a Qing Dynasty naval admiral, and served as a gathering place and spiritual home for people from Fujian and Taiwan residing in Beijing. Three century-old locust trees in the courtyard still stand strong, seemingly whispering the nursery rhyme from Song Ma's recitation in *Old Tales of South Beijing*: "Locust tree, locust tree, under the locust tree, a stage is built..."
Today, as one of the first batch of cultural relic building revitalization projects in Xicheng District, the Jinjiang Guild Hall is positioned as the "Lin Haiyin Literature Exhibition Center," featuring two themed exhibition halls and a special bookstore. The main hall's themed exhibition, "South Beijing and Taipei—The World of Lin Haiyin," traces Lin Haiyin's life, displaying her works and correspondence with friends, connecting the connections between Beijing and Taipei.
Mr. Lu, a literature enthusiast, specially brought a copy of *Old Tales of South Beijing* to visit the guild hall. He said, "'Yingzi' has always been my spiritual idol, accompanying me from my childhood to my youth. It was precisely such Beijing-style works that attracted me to eventually live in Beijing. Standing here today, it feels as if I can travel through time from 'Yingzi's' perspective and truly experience the homesickness in Lin Haiyin's words." Lin Haiyin's writing transcends the strait, depicting shared cultural memories between the two sides. She once wrote in *Two Places*, "Taiwan is my hometown, and Beiping is where I grew up. I have never left these two places in my life." As a key figure in promoting postwar Taiwanese literature, Lin Haiyin, as an editor and writer, nurtured countless new literary talents and is hailed as the "Grandmother of Taiwanese Literature."
A staff member from the United Front Work Department of the CPC Xicheng District Committee in Beijing stated that in the future, the Jinjiang Guild Hall will serve as one of the new landmarks for Beijing-Taiwan exchanges. Using the "Lin Haiyin Literature Exhibition Center" as a platform, it will establish cross-strait cultural exchange workshops, focusing on the cultural connections between Beijing and Taiwan, and hosting a series of cross-strait cultural interaction projects and exchange activities to promote literary dialogue and emotional resonance between Beijing and Taiwan.
