The Ministry of Culture yesterday honored three men who have dedicated their lives to the conservation of traditional culture as “national living treasures,” in recognition of their efforts to preserve Taiwan’s cultural heritage.
Hsu Ming-he (徐明河) was awarded the title for preserving exquisite traditional claywork techniques, while Li Ching-hai (李清海) and Su Ching-liang (蘇清良) were recognized for their excellence at preserving traditional Han and foreign building techniques, the ministry said in a statement.
Clayworking is a unique decorative art form used on many traditional buildings in Taiwan. It involves the complex process of making figurines, animals and flowers to decorate the interior and exterior of temples or traditional structures, the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture via CNA
A native of Taoyuan, Hsu started restoring national monuments in 1998, using manual techniques and traditional materials, the statement said.
The building engineering techniques used by Li and Su involve two distinct systems: the traditional Han building system which includes laying foundations, building walls and making statues, and modern foreign building techniques — mainly Japanese and Western — that are essential to preserving and restoring historic sites and monuments, it said.
Li, who was born in Kinmen County, learned his craft in Tongan in China’s Fujian Province, the ministry said.
He is an expert at building walls and paving bricks, and has made a major contribution to the preservation of traditional buildings in his hometown, it said.
Kaohsiung-born Su is an expert at restoring traditional buildings such as bamboo houses and temples, but also specializes in using foreign building preservation techniques, and is able to adjust his tools and techniques to different situations, the ministry said.
The title of “national living treasure” was first awarded by the ministry in 2010 based on the provisions of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法).
As of this month, it has honored 10 national important cultural heritage conservation techniques and 16 cultural conservationists, the statement said.
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