Unlike other stone lions stationed on either side of traditional buildings’ gates, a male and a female that sit in front of the Martyrs’ Shrine in New Taipei City (新北市) appear very lifelike.
This is not only because of their stateliness, but also because of their obvious sexual characteristics.
Many visitors to the shrine have been seen staring closely at the pair of stone lions, as the male one has a rare penis, while the female has a pair of slightly swollen breasts and holds a little stone baby lion down with one paw.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
Some adults blushed upon looking at the statues’ obvious sexual characteristics, while young children said they were embarrassed.
Sanchong District (三重) chief Yang Yi-te (楊義德), the former director of the city’s department of civil affairs, said the department had received complaints from residents who find the sexual features disturbing.
Some feel that the authorities should “clothe the x-rated sculptures” that are on display in an open area where children and tourists often visit, Yang said.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
“The public should not overly interpret the appearances of the two stone lions, or look at them with a prejudiced view, as they are merely traditional pieces of art that are of cultural significance,” he said in response to the complaints.
“This is like the statues of urinating little boys installed in European-style gardens — people no longer find them strange, as such sculptures have become commonplace,” Yang added.
A local resident surnamed Huang (黃) said the public should not take the exposed sexual characteristics too seriously, saying they posed no serious harm and that people should simply laugh the matter off.
Some parents even praised the stone lions as “great statues of personification,” which they said serve as good models for them to teach sex education to their children.
Religion and Customs Division chief Chen Yi-chun (陳怡君) said that only a fraction of stone lions across the country have sexual characteristics — an obvious way for the people to distinguish their gender.
“However, since the city’s Martyrs’ Shrine only dates back about four decades, it is difficult to determine the reasons behind the pair’s rare natural design,” Chen said.
As for the possibility of covering up the stone lions, Chen said the department would deliberate on the matter and it would consider putting a proposal in next year’s budget.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS