Ahead of Transformers: Age of Extinction hitting theaters across the nation this month, Wenheng Temple (文衡殿) in Greater Tainan’s Longchi District (龍崎) welcomed its latest guard — Optimus Prime, a transformer robot warrior from the popular franchise.
The Optimus Prime statue is 3m high and weighs 350kg, the temple staff said, adding that it is the largest statue on display at the temple.
The temple has also ordered a custom-made statue of Bumblebee — another, yellow-colored autobot in the Transformers series, they said.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times
The Taoist temple became famous around the nation in July last year after it set up a display of armored suits featured in the popular Iron Man superhero franchise in front of a statue of Guan Gong (關公) — a legendary general from China’s Eastern Han Dynasty who is worshiped by Taiwanese and Chinese communities.
The Iron Man exhibit featured replicas of the “Mark 42,” “War Machine” and “Iron Patriot” suits made of fiberglass, the temple staff said.
A fiberglass Iron Man “prototype” was later presented to the temple by a member of the public.
Visitors come from around the nation to view the elaborately crafted action hero statues, which provide a modern touch to a traditional Taoist setting, which includes wood carvings and bronze statues of deities, as well as Koji pottery.
Temple director Wang Chao-hsiung (王昭雄) said that the temple has always been a popular tourist spot because of its location, but the movie statues have boosted the number of young visitors by about 20 percent, which helped to breathe new life into the temple.
A new edifice that will allow worshipers to offer incense to deities and an “in memoriam” area are being planned, he said.
Future visitors might also be able to see reproductions of the cartoon action heroes Captain America, Thor and The Hulk, he said.
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