Cheng Huang Temple (城隍廟) in Chiayi City and Chaotian Temple (朝天宮) in Yunlin County are applying for a change in status for two plaques awarded by a Qing Dynasty emperor to the houses of worship, elevating their historic designation from “general antiquities” to “significant antiquities” or possibly “national treasures.”
Each of the plaques is inscribed with four characters — Tai Yang Xian You (臺洋顯佑) for the Chiayi temple dedicated to Cheng Huang (城隍, city god) and Ci Yun Sa Run (慈雲灑潤) for the Yunlin temple dedicated to the sea goddess Matsu (媽祖).
They were gifts from emperor Guangxu (光緒) in 1886 after the two temples collaborated to bring about rain and end a drought that year. Tai Yang Xian You refers to blessings for Taiwan and the ocean, while Ci Yun Sa Run reflects the goddess’ benevolence manifested in the form of clouds bringing rain.
Photo: Ting Wei-chieh, Taipei Times
The tablets have been listed as “general antiquities” by the cultural heritage review committees of Chiayi and Yunlin, Lin Chao-chi (林朝基), head of the Chiayi Cultural Affairs Bureau’s cultural heritage section, said on Sunday.
Article 65 of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act (文化資產保存法) states that “antiques shall be categorized as national treasures, significant antiquities or general antiquities, depending on their rarity and value.”
To upgrade the status of the Tai Yang Xian You tablet to “significant antiquity,” Cheng Huang Temple invited members of the city’s cultural heritage review committee to view the tablet on Friday, after Lin Ren-cheng (林仁政), an expert hired by the temple, had studied and identified additional significant details that add value to the tablet, Lin Chao-chi said.
Photo: Ting Wei-chieh, Taipei Times
Although the committee has not reached a final decision, almost every committee member acknowledged the value of the plaque after the site visit, he said.
The plaque is culturally and technically distinctive, as it was made of wood from Chinese fir and camphor trees during the Qing Dynasty, with nine dragons delicately crafted on the perimeter and the emperor’s authentic ink seal on the top-middle spot, said committee members, who declined to be identified.
The four inscribed Chinese characters used a specific kind of font, and the overall style of the plaque is consistent with plaques used in houses of Qing Dynasty officials, they said.
Considering the clear historical context of the plaque, it has the potential to be even designated as a “national treasure,” they added.
Cheng Huang Temple chairman Lai Yung-chuan (賴永川) expressed excitement about the two temples’ shared goal of ultimately acquiring the designation of “national treasures” for the plaques.
He said he hoped the joint effort would be as successful as the collaboration between the two deities more than a century ago.
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