In a departure from traditional religious themes, new murals at Tainan’s Nankunshen Daitian Temple (南鯤鯓代天府) feature departed and contemporary Taiwanese celebrities to commemorate their contributions to society.
While most temple murals are inspired by mythological or historical figures, Nankunshen Daitian — built in 1817 and widely hailed as the founding temple for Wang Ye worship in Taiwan — took a different tack, using images of Taiwanese celebrities and landscapes, temple board director Hou Hsien-hsun (侯賢遜) said on Sunday.
A collection of freshly painted murals line a hallway from the main worship hall to an auxiliary shrine, featuring individuals that include Lin Chieh-liang (林杰樑), who gained a reputation as a guardian of public health after giving valuable food safety advice amid a number of food scares in recent years, and the late Wang King-ho (王金河), a doctor popularly known as the “Father of Blackfoot Disease” for his work combating the disease.
Photo: Yang Chin-cheng, Taipei Times
Others depicted in the murals include 1968 Mexico City Olympics women’s 80m hurdles bronze medalist Chi Cheng (紀政), Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) and renowned painter and 228 Massacre victim Chen Cheng-po (陳澄波).
Hou said the murals, part of a recent renovation project, are the latest additions to a collection started two years ago that adorns the walls and pillars of the main worship hall with portraits of athletes such as NBA player Jeremy Lin (林書豪), former world No. 1 golfer Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) and major league pitchers Chen Wei-yin (陳偉殷) and Wang Chien-ming (王建民), as well as philanthropist Chen Shu-chu (陳樹菊) and the late painter Hung Tung (洪通).
Taiwanese landscapes are another prominent motif of the murals, including an ancient salt field and a newly constructed crystal church in Tainan’s Beimen District (北門), Hou added.
Visitor Yang Jui-che (楊睿哲) said that looking at the temple’s murals was like reading a Taiwanese history book, adding that photographs of the murals had gone viral among the nation’s netizens.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS