The painted door god of Shenghe Temple in East District of Tainan has historical traces of being blackened by cigarettes lit in the temple for many years. (Photo by reporter Wang Junzhong)
Tainan East District Shenghe Temple is located in the area behind Tainan Railway Station and close to National Cheng Kung University. It has no eye-catching appearance and is hidden in the alleys of Shengli Road and Yule Street. Without careful exploration, outsiders would not easily notice that there is a royal temple next to National Cheng Kung University. Xie Zhenghan, who took over as chairman from the director-general of the temple, believes that wonderful traditional national treasure-level craftsman works can be seen everywhere in the temple. If it is demolished, it will be a great regret for the local area.
Since the beginning of this year, Xie Zhenghan has led a team of deacons and volunteers to study the history of Shenghe Palace, traditional crafts decoration, antiquities list, etc., and visited local elders, cultural and historical workers, and traditional craft artists who have participated in the temple's activities one by one. Only then can he piece together a set of art history of Shenghe Palace and a list of the temple's traditional crafts.
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Xie Zhenghan said that after an inventory by the temple authorities and cultural experts, the temple's dragon and tiger blocking clay sculpture reliefs were exquisite creations by Wang Wuxiong, a famous craftsman in Fucheng; the waterwheel blocking scene with shearing and clay sculptures and dragon pillars were created by Ye Jin, a master of shearing and claying in Taiwan. It was completed by the father and son duo Lu and his descendant Ye Mingji; the door god paintings, Liang Fang banner mythological story paintings and stone slab carving manuscripts in the temple were created by Pan Yuexiong, a famous Fucheng painter who won the Legacy Award.
In June this year, clay sculpture craftsman Du Muhe visited Shenghe Palace for inspection and said that the clay sculpture dragon pillar at the entrance of the temple is a three-clawed dragon pillar, which is a style unique to the shear and glue masters of the Ye Zong lineage. It was probably made by Ye Jinlu. As for the many ink murals of flowers and birds in the temple, Du Ye said that the birds should have been painted by Cai Caoru himself.
The temple authorities also visited Pan Yuexiong to confirm that the paintings of Shenghe Palace Gate God, the colorful paintings of mythological stories on Liang Fang banners, and the manuscripts of stone slab carvings were all his creations at that time.
In the evening of late May, Ye Mingji visited Shenghe Palace and said that the waterwheel blocking, shearing and sticking were indeed jointly created by him and his father Ye Jinlu; the two dragon pillars in front of the temple were also the works of Ye Jinlu.
Xie Zhenghan also said that at that time, the roof, ceiling, beams and columns of Shenghe Palace were all made of cypress wood. According to legend, it was made by a woodworking master named Chen from Liukuailiao, Anding District, Tainan. In order to apply for the designation of a historical building, the temple authorities have been unable to find this master craftsman named Chen. He hopes to disclose it through this newspaper and ask all walks of life to help find the missing carpenter surnamed Chen.
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The painted door god of Shenghe Palace in Tainan East District is signed by Pan Yuexiong, a famous Master of the Heritage Award. (Photo by reporter Wang Junzhong)
The waterwheel jam scene at Shenghe Palace in East District of Tainan was created by cutting-and-gluing master Ye Jinlu and his descendants Ye Mingji and his son. (Photo by reporter Wang Junzhong)
The waterwheel jam scene at Shenghe Palace in East District of Tainan was created by cutting-and-gluing master Ye Jinlu and his descendants Ye Mingji and his son. (Photo by reporter Wang Junzhong)
