The Daitienkung Temple (代天宮) in Kaohsiung, a designated historical building, is to establish a historical relics museum in the hope of preserving traditional art, with the first exhibition set for mid-November.
Built in the 1950s, the temple formed the religious center of the Hamasen region (哈瑪星), in Kaohsiung.
The “door gods” were designed and painted by Pan Li-shui (潘麗水).
Photo: Ko Yu-hao, Taipei Times
Other artisans include Su Shui-chin (蘇水欽), who did wood carvings, and Yeh Ching-yi (葉經義), who did calligraphy in the style of calligraphy master Tsai Yuan-heng (蔡元亨). The building also includes works from Yeh Tsung (葉鬃) and his son, masters of the art form known as “fragmented ceramic art,” or chien nien (剪黏), “cut-and-paste.”
The temple has 280 artworks by Pan, the most of any temple containing his work.
In 2008 the city government designated the temple as a historical building.
Temple president Chou Ho-sheng (周和勝) said that one building has been designated as a museum for historical relics so that the works of art can be admired for years to come.
The late calligraphy master Tsai had written on the right and left-hand side of the buildings when he was 80 years old, which demonstrates Tsai’s skill in calligraphy, Chou said, adding that the temple had taken care to preserve the works and would be including them in the exhibition.
The temple has also enlisted the aid of local cultural history academic Huang Jung-huang (黃榮皇) while planning the museum, separating the relics into historical tracks, religious art and cultural relics.
The temple said it plans to open the exhibition on Nov. 15.
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