New Taipei City’s Sanxia Zushih Temple, known as the “palace of oriental art,” is known for its traditional appeal and its unique carvings and decoration.
The initial plans to build the temple stretch back to the Qing dynasty. It was rebuilt twice during the 19th century and, after World War II, it came under the control of Sanxia Township. The then-representative of Sanxia Street, renowned artist Li Mei-shu, assumed responsibility for the supervision of the temple, commencing the temple’s third reconstruction in 1947.
Li took western elements and blended them seamlessly with the oriental temple architecture. In addition to the auspicious carvings of symbols such as gods, dragons, phoenixes and bats in the traditional Zushih Temple, you can also find many earthbound beasts, such as cats, dogs, pigs, goats, deer and bears; winged creatures like doves and owls; and even aquatic life, such as shrimp, crabs, octopi, squid, alligators and lobsters, all of which reward the careful observer. And among this exquisite craftsmanship are also concealed Cupid, angels from the Bible, and the mermaid of the children’s fable.
Photos: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報記者古德謙
If you look closely at the design of the temple, it soon becomes apparent that the third reconstruction of the temple was done using the “rival construction” method. That is, a tarpaulin was erected along the temple’s central axis to divide it into two sides — the dragon side and the tiger side — and two teams of artisans would, and according to Li’s instructions, work on their own carvings, expressing their own creativity, skills and ideas. As a result, the respective elements of the left and right sides of the temple are similar in size, and yet quite different in their forms, styles, and technique.
(Translated by Paul Cooper)
有「東方藝術殿堂」之稱的新北市三峽祖師廟，以古色古香、雕樑畫棟名聞遐邇。
Photos: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片：台北時報記者古德謙
三峽祖師廟自清朝籌建，十九世紀歷經兩次重建，二次世界大戰後，祖師廟歸三峽鎮所有，由當時的代理三峽街長李梅樹接管，於民國卅六年進行第三次重建。
第三次重建的主持人李梅樹將西方元素不留痕跡地融入東方廟宇中。傳統的祖師廟裡，除了神明及龍、鳳、蝙蝠等象徵吉祥的雕刻，還能發現許多動物，舉凡地上走的貓、狗、豬、羊、鹿、熊，到天上飛的鴿子、貓頭鷹，甚至水裡的蝦子、螃蟹、章魚、魷魚、鱷魚、龍蝦等都有，細細觀察，趣味無窮。愛神丘比特、聖經中的天使、童話故事裡的美人魚也藏身在鬼斧神工的雕刻之中。
觀察祖師廟細部設計，不難發現第三次重建是採「對場作」的方式施工，亦即在廟宇中軸線，用布幔將龍邊、虎邊隔開，兩派工匠依照李梅樹的指揮，各自發揮創意、技巧與巧思來雕刻，因此建築左右兩邊相對應的元件，尺寸相似，但形狀、樣式、手法各異。（自由時報記者蔡百靈）
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