The restoration of Hsuehhai Academy, the only surviving Qing Dynasty school in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), is expected to be completed by 2026, with the door gods to be painted by 36-year-old Chou Meng-hsun (周孟勳).
Hsuehhai Academy was built during the reign of Qing Dynasty Emperor Daoguang (道光) (1821-1850) and was later purchased by a local family surnamed Kao (高), who repurposed it as the family’s ancestral temple.
The Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs said it has since 2019 provided more than NT$60 million (US$1.88 million) to renovate and repair the building.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs
To the best its knowledge, the original door god paintings were the work of Hsu Lien-cheng (許連成) and completed in 1972, the department said.
Hsu’s apprentice and successor, Chen Shu-ken (陳樹根), had been commissioned to restore the paintings, the department said.
However, as Chen is now old and has not practiced the trade for a long time, the original doors would be cleaned and reinforced, and placed on display after the renovations are completed, it said.
The same materials, art style and techniques would be used for the new door gods, but Chou would showcase how artists from different eras treat the same subject, the department said.
Chou is from a new generation of traditional painters officially certified by the Ministry of Culture and would be using techniques such as layering to create visual depth, it said.
Chou on Thursday said that the cloud-like shapes on the clothing of traditional door deities are very fine and require meticulous work, and because of that, he has opted to complete the doors in a traditional fashion, forming a “big” cloud-like shape by drawing little cloud shapes in a small area.
However, Chou said he would add a little flourish of his own.
Traditionally, illustrators favored the symbols representing the head of the dragon, but he would highlight the tail, which in Hoklo is pronounced “tua-bue,” alluding that the Kao family was a significant force to be reckoned with.
“I have aspired to be a professional artist since my final years in college. This is not just a job for me — it is a work of art,” he said.
The managers of the Kao family temple said that few traditional family temples had door deities, but a member of the Kao family had been a Qing Dynasty official, which merited the exception, adding that this was also what made the temple unique.
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