The Ministry of Culture on Friday awarded three people, two posthumously, the title of “national treasure” for their contributions toward preserving Taiwan’s cultural heritage.
At a ceremony featuring traditional nanguan (南管) music at the National Taiwan Museum in Taipei, Minister of Culture Shi Che (史哲) awarded Lee Ching-hai (李清海), Su Ching-liang (蘇清良) and Hsu Ming-he (徐明河) with the title. Su and Hsu died earlier this year.
Lee and Su were recognized for their expertise in traditional bricklaying techniques, which are crucial for restoring historic structures such as temples, traditional homes and graves.
Photo: CNA
Hsu was honored for his clay sculpture skills and proficiency in cut-and-paste ceramic art, a traditional Taiwanese handicraft. The techniques are often employed in creating or restoring decorations in temples and traditional homes.
Lee attended the ceremony in person, while Su’s grandson, Su Chien-ming (蘇建銘), and Hsu’s son, Hsu Chao-lin (徐朝琳), accepted their awards on behalf of their family members.
Su Chien-ming’s grandson, who also practices traditional bricklaying, paid tribute to his late grandfather and said he would continue his legacy.
The Ministry of Culture in a statement praised Lee, who is well-known for building roof ridges that showcase the beauty of structure’s architecture, for his contributions in restoring traditional homes in Kinmen County.
Su Ching-liang, skilled in creating restoration tools, helped in several restoration projects involving national monuments, including the Taipei Guest House and the Shinchiku Prefecture government building, which now serves as the Hsinchu City Government building, the ministry said.
Hsu Ming-he, who was a master of cut-and-paste techniques and clay sculpturing, dedicated his life not only to creating artwork, but also to nurturing and passing down his skills to other talented people, it said.
The ceremony was not just to present the titles to the three craftsmen, but to also showcase their persistence in preserving Taiwan’s cultural heritage, Shi said.
“We’re here to witness,” he said.
The ministry is holding a special exhibition to showcase the work of the three men from yesterday to Feb. 29, at the Cultural Heritage Park in Taichung.
In adherence with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), the ministry has, since 2010, been recording important cultural heritage preservation techniques and their preservers. So far, 10 techniques and 16 preservers have been logged.
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