Timeless Charm: Part Two
- 英文Taiwan Review網站 @ 外交部
titleTimeless Charm: Part Two的pubDate是2025/04/02, description是The spirital and material meet and mix in Lukang. Lukang has been a prosperous town for 300 years, and its residents have nurtured rich cultural live....
| title | Timeless Charm: Part Two |
| link | https://taiwantoday.tw/Economics/Taiwan-Review/268195/Timeless-Charm%3A-Part-Two |
| guid | 268195 |
| pubDate | 2025/04/02 |
| description | The spirital and material meet and mix in Lukang. Lukang has been a prosperous town for 300 years, and its residents have nurtured rich cultural lives as artisans, poets and novelists among ornate temples and elegant houses. Workshops catering to purely ornamental and decorative items still thrive: silk flowers for weddings and feast days, dough figurines of mythical and heroic figures for religious celebrations, wood carvings and pewter figures for domestic shrines and public temples. Some of its most famous food, such as sun-dried mullet roe, is associated with seasonal lunar festivals. Stories abound, like the tragic romance of Yi Lou, a Minnan-style townhouse. Before Yin Niang’s husband set off for the imperial examinations in Beijing, he planted a tree in the courtyard and asked her to care for it as though it were a person. All alone, Yin Niang looked after the tree every day, pined away and died. Visitors come to stand in the narrow alley and see the tree still growing there. A short walk away is Shiyi Lou, a Qing dynasty (1644-1911) shophouse that has a covered bridge spanning an alley, connecting top floor rooms where local literati socialized. Its name comes from the 10 pastimes enjoyed there: music, chess, poetry, wine, painting, flowers, gazing at the moon, gambling, smoking and drinking tea. Tending to the town’s soul are its oldest temples, Tianhou Temple and Lung-shan Temple. The former is dedicated to Mazu, patron goddess of the sea, and dates from 1725. The temple contains many images of the deity, the most recent of which is formed from over 150 kilograms of donated gold and inlaid with precious gems. Lung-shan Temple was constructed in 1786 and is dedicated to Guanyin, goddess of mercy and compassion. Due to natural disasters such as earthquakes, it has been rebuilt many times. In 1829 the main gate, stage, main hall and back hall were substantially rebuilt to yield the temple’s modern footprint of 891 square meters. It is most famous for the 1852 addition of 12 solid stone dragon carved columns in the main hall. Lukang’s rich heritage lives on through its timeless traditions, vibrant artisanship and storied temples, inviting visitors to step into a world where history, art and devotion intertwine. —Liu Kun-hao Shiyi Lou, once home to the Chen family of the Qingchang Trading Company, is a historic residence in Lukang's Jinsheng Alley. The window overlooking Yi Lou’s courtyard and tree is filled with curved pottery tiles stacked in decorative patterns of stylized gourds and coins, an architectural device used to ventilate rooms and retain privacy. In 2004 Lukang native Li Jun-de, the founder of Junmei Food, bought Yi Lou and renovated it, making the sructure the first historic building to be privately restored in Changhua County. Most of Tianhou Temple’s present structures were completed by 1936, and it was designated a third-class historic site in 1985. Tianhou Temple’s coffered ceiling is composed of mortise and tenon jointed cypress beams decorated with mythical beasts. A stone plaque honors Tianhou Temple's enduring faith and craftsmanship. Long-shan Temple’s open courtyard and halls embody classical Minnan architecture, offering a tranquil space for worshippers and visitors alike. Long-shan Temple has been rebuilt at least 14 times since initial construction in 1786, and in 1983 it was designated as a first-class historic site. Taro balls are stuffed with fillings made from local ingredients: salted egg yolk, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. The taro balls are steamed and can be served with or without soup. Mullet roe is traditionally dried in the sun and enjoyed during lunar festivals as a symbol of prosperity. Once temple offerings, dough figures often include cartoon characters or well-known images, like the jade cabbage or glazed pork museum pieces. Continuing a five-generation legacy, Shih Jiao-yen crafts intricate dough figurines depicting mythic and heroic figures for religious celebrations. Tinsmith brothers Chen Jhih-sheng and Chen Chih-yang produce sculptures of various deities and ornamental items in their Lukang workshop and have been recognized as practitioners of the traditional art form by the county government. Artisan Shih Li-mei makes wrapped silk thread flowers, once essential for wedding ornaments and ceremonial decorations. Fifth-generation wood carver Li Bing-guei was recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a living cultural treasure of traditional wood carving. The Lukang Folk Arts Museum, the residence of businessman and politician Koo Hsien-jun consists of a Minnan-style building and a Western-style building. In 1973, the buildings and many cultural artifacts were donated by the Koo family to create a museum. |
titleTimeless Charm: Part Two |
linkhttps://taiwantoday.tw/Economics/Taiwan-Review/268195/Timeless-Charm%3A-Part-Two |
guid268195 |
pubDate2025/04/02 |
descriptionThe spirital and material meet and mix in Lukang. Lukang has been a prosperous town for 300 years, and its residents have nurtured rich cultural lives as artisans, poets and novelists among ornate temples and elegant houses. Workshops catering to purely ornamental and decorative items still thrive: silk flowers for weddings and feast days, dough figurines of mythical and heroic figures for religious celebrations, wood carvings and pewter figures for domestic shrines and public temples. Some of its most famous food, such as sun-dried mullet roe, is associated with seasonal lunar festivals. Stories abound, like the tragic romance of Yi Lou, a Minnan-style townhouse. Before Yin Niang’s husband set off for the imperial examinations in Beijing, he planted a tree in the courtyard and asked her to care for it as though it were a person. All alone, Yin Niang looked after the tree every day, pined away and died. Visitors come to stand in the narrow alley and see the tree still growing there. A short walk away is Shiyi Lou, a Qing dynasty (1644-1911) shophouse that has a covered bridge spanning an alley, connecting top floor rooms where local literati socialized. Its name comes from the 10 pastimes enjoyed there: music, chess, poetry, wine, painting, flowers, gazing at the moon, gambling, smoking and drinking tea. Tending to the town’s soul are its oldest temples, Tianhou Temple and Lung-shan Temple. The former is dedicated to Mazu, patron goddess of the sea, and dates from 1725. The temple contains many images of the deity, the most recent of which is formed from over 150 kilograms of donated gold and inlaid with precious gems. Lung-shan Temple was constructed in 1786 and is dedicated to Guanyin, goddess of mercy and compassion. Due to natural disasters such as earthquakes, it has been rebuilt many times. In 1829 the main gate, stage, main hall and back hall were substantially rebuilt to yield the temple’s modern footprint of 891 square meters. It is most famous for the 1852 addition of 12 solid stone dragon carved columns in the main hall. Lukang’s rich heritage lives on through its timeless traditions, vibrant artisanship and storied temples, inviting visitors to step into a world where history, art and devotion intertwine. —Liu Kun-haoShiyi Lou, once home to the Chen family of the Qingchang Trading Company, is a historic residence in Lukang's Jinsheng Alley.The window overlooking Yi Lou’s courtyard and tree is filled with curved pottery tiles stacked in decorative patterns of stylized gourds and coins, an architectural device used to ventilate rooms and retain privacy.In 2004 Lukang native Li Jun-de, the founder of Junmei Food, bought Yi Lou and renovated it, making the sructure the first historic building to be privately restored in Changhua County.Most of Tianhou Temple’s present structures were completed by 1936, and it was designated a third-class historic site in 1985.Tianhou Temple’s coffered ceiling is composed of mortise and tenon jointed cypress beams decorated with mythical beasts.A stone plaque honors Tianhou Temple's enduring faith and craftsmanship.Long-shan Temple’s open courtyard and halls embody classical Minnan architecture, offering a tranquil space for worshippers and visitors alike.Long-shan Temple has been rebuilt at least 14 times since initial construction in 1786, and in 1983 it was designated as a first-class historic site.Taro balls are stuffed with fillings made from local ingredients: salted egg yolk, mushrooms and bamboo shoots.The taro balls are steamed and can be served with or without soup.Mullet roe is traditionally dried in the sun and enjoyed during lunar festivals as a symbol of prosperity.Once temple offerings, dough figures often include cartoon characters or well-known images, like the jade cabbage or glazed pork museum pieces.Continuing a five-generation legacy, Shih Jiao-yen crafts intricate dough figurines depicting mythic and heroic figures for religious celebrations.Tinsmith brothers Chen Jhih-sheng and Chen Chih-yang produce sculptures of various deities and ornamental items in their Lukang workshop and have been recognized as practitioners of the traditional art form by the county government.Artisan Shih Li-mei makes wrapped silk thread flowers, once essential for wedding ornaments and ceremonial decorations.Fifth-generation wood carver Li Bing-guei was recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a living cultural treasure of traditional wood carving.The Lukang Folk Arts Museum, the residence of businessman and politician Koo Hsien-jun consists of a Minnan-style building and a Western-style building.In 1973, the buildings and many cultural artifacts were donated by the Koo family to create a museum. |