After spending more than six decades adding color to temples all over Taiwan, artisan Tsai Lung-chin (蔡龍進) has set his brush on restoring worn door gods and other bastions of traditional architecture back to their original splendor.
At 75 years old, Tsai is no newcomer to traditional temple painting.
He began 62 years ago growing up as a child of farmers in Yunlin County’s Shueilin Township (水林).
Photo courtesy of Tsai Lung-chin
Tsai recalled that when he was not toiling in the sweltering fields, he loved visiting temples to watch glass painters at work. Drawing from their inspiration, he bought some paper to try his hand at sketching the Buddha in his household shrine.
His father, noticing his enthusiasm, encouraged him to pursue the skill, Tsai said, adding that when he was 13, he became an apprentice to a renowned traditional painter, Pan Li-shui (潘麗水).
Since his family owned a significant amount of farmland at the time, Tsai said Pan believed he came from a wealthy family.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
Fearing that he would not take the role seriously, Pan charged his family NT$2,000 per month in tuition fees, Tsai said.
Tsai said he started with painting bonsai and life sketches, spending his days accompanying Pan to temples, and his evenings grinding ink and observing Pan as he worked.
After witnessing his dedication, staying up late into the night to practice, any reservations Pan had about teaching the young apprentice evaporated and he no longer asked for any tuition fees, Tsai said.
Three years into his apprenticeship, Pan was confident that Tsai had mastered the work and graduated him from his tutelage.
In Tsai’s view, since every temple is dedicated to a different deity, it is the job of the artisan to portray the separate gods to each temple’s specifications.
This involves a significant amount of research into their history, which informs the artist’s creative vision and ultimate portrayal of their subject, he said.
“Viewing a painting is like listening to a story,” Tsai said. “The artisan is responsible for telling an interesting tale.”
Over time Tsai made a name for himself through word of mouth, his artwork gracing houses of worship across Taiwan — especially in northern Taiwan, where nearly 70 percent of all temples have seen his brush — and abroad.
His work can be found in some of the nation’s most famous temples, including Xia Hai City God Temple (霞海城隍廟), Longshan Temple (龍山寺) and Zhinan Temple (指南宮) in Taipei; Lecheng Temple (樂成宮) in Taichung; Nankunshen Daitianfu (南鯤鯓代天府) in Tainan; and a temple in Saitama, Japan.
Yet none is more special to Tsai than Cihui Temple (慈惠宮) in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), which he helped rebuild from scratch, from the door gods to murals and even sculptures.
Although afraid that his craft is slowly dying off along with experienced artisans, Tsai is happy that his son is prepared to carry on the tradition, along with other apprentices under his instruction.
Over the past few years, Tsai has gotten more invitations to renovate historic buildings by staying as true as possible to the original artists’ methods and artistic vision.
He has also been designated a preserver of traditional painting by the New Taipei City Government, which in 2020 also granted him its annual Cultural Award.
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