The New Taipei City Government last month provisionally granted historical heritage status to the 251-year-old Cingshuei Zushih Temple (清水祖師廟) in the city’s Sansia District (三峽), and an official listing is expected later this month.
The move came after historical conservationists last year filed an emergency petition to block planned renovations by the temple’s private owners.
The conservationists asked the city government to step in after learning that the temple management committee was planning wide-ranging repairs, as they were concerned that the repairs could deface the temple, said Hsiao Wen-chieh (蕭文杰), who cosigned the petition.
Photo: Yeh Kuan-hao, Taipei Times
Although the city government in 2013 listed the temple as of potential heritage interest, it had done little since then, Hsiao said.
Built in 1767, the Zushih Temple has been a center of Qingshui Zushi (清水祖師) worship.
It is known as a “palace of oriental art,” owing to its large and varied collection of art that endows it with artistic and historical value.
In addition to its antique architecture, the temple’s renovation in 1947 involved some of Taiwan’s most celebrated artists and prominent historical figures of the time.
The paintings at the temple include works by renowned modern painter Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖) and Chinese traditional painter Au Ho-nien (歐豪年), while warlord Yan Xishan’s (閻錫山) calligraphy can be seen with that of Yu Youren (于右任), a Republic of China statesman and academic.
The temple’s ornate architecture was a major artistic and technical accomplishment and has significant aesthetic value, especially the sculptures and ceramic applique, Cultural Heritage Evaluation Committee member Lee Chian-lang (李乾朗) said.
Not only were traditional elements combined with the modern art styles of the time, but the construction materials also included Guanyinshan (觀音山) andesite and Alishan (阿里山) cypress, which can no longer be used in modern buildings due to their rarity, he said.
For those reasons, the committee decided to confer heritage status on the temple to ensure its preservation, Lee said.
The Department of Cultural Affairs confirmed the decision, saying that it expects the decision to be finalized late this month, after formal approval by New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫).
There are “pluses and minuses” to the temple’s new heritage status, temple management committee head Hung Yi-chung (洪一中) said, adding that its owners would “keep an open mind” and respect the decision.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS