"It's too expensive to make these things in Taiwan today," said Wang Jui-yu (王瑞瑜), an artist who is leading the crew painting Kuangsheng's walls and ceiling. "The original temple was made entirely in Taiwan. Most of this one is imported."
Nonetheless, rebuilding the structure and adorning its interior has been a Herculean effort. Two years were spent planning and raising funds for reconstruction. Chen, the temple's caretaker, spent months divining what images, scenes and poems should canopy worshippers. Another two years have been spent rebuilding. It took four months alone for a six-man crew to paint the dizzyingly ornate ceiling. Several more months -- and an unspecified sum -- were spent layering the front wall in gold leaf.
Sanctity of the site
All the while, according to Chen, care has been taken to ensure the sanctity of the site. The eyes of each of the lions that will guard the temple have been covered so that their power doesn't harm the construction crews, lest the lions find them a threat. Matsu and several lesser deities have been temporarily housed in a converted kitchen next door, where Chen has kept incense burning for the past 43 months. The fact that the new temple has not been consecrated is why the Taipei Times has been allowed inside to photograph the interior.
These circumstances will change on Wednesday, July 9 when Chen and a procession of worshippers lead Matsu back to her seat at the head of the temple in a ceremony (入火典禮) that hasn't taken place in Chichi since the temple returned to its original location in 1867. By then the paint brushes will have been put away and the bamboo scaffolding taken down. The cloths covering the lions' eyes will be removed and one by one a thousand votive candles will be relit.
Something else will have happened, too. Chichi Township will have started to feel a little bit normal again.
"Losing this temple was harder than losing our own homes," Chang said. "Having it back will be like having our lives back."
Now in his eighties, Chen is less concerned with his life than with his temple. "The only reason I survived that earthquake was to make sure the temple survived it, too," he said. "Now I can die with peace in my heart."
Kuangsheng temple will be consecrated on Wednesday, July 9 (癸午年六月初十), at 11pm. The temple is located at 126 Chichi St. in Chichi Township, Nantou County (南投縣集集鎮集集街126號).
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