TiT Arts:Sanhsia's Tsu Shih Temple

Sanhsia's Tsu Shih Temple

By Jay Speiden
Photos by Eugene Yeh

There is an old Chinese idiom that reads, "Touching a stone and turning it to gold." This phrase can have many meanings, but at its most literal, it applies perfectly to the exquisite Tsu Shih (Divine Progenitor) Temple (清水祖師廟) in the northern Taiwanese town of Sanhsia (三峽鎮).

Sanhsia's famous temple is perhaps even more interesting because it is still a place of worship. There is an old Chinese idiom that reads, "Touching a stone and turning it to gold." This phrase can have many meanings, but at its most literal, it applies perfectly to the exquisite Tsu Shih (Divine Progenitor) Temple (清水祖師廟) in the northern Taiwanese town of Sanhsia (三峽鎮). Thousands of temples are scattered throughout Taiwan's cities and countryside, most of the ones that a visitor is likely to run across are relatively new. Most neighborhoods have a host of small, simple temples that are highly functional, but often a far cry from being solid examples of the ancient tradition of temple arts that were brought to Taiwan from the mainland Chinese province of Fukien (福建省). Most of Taiwan's oldest temples were wrought by master builders from this region and constructed with plans and materials that were imported specifically for the building of these temples.

Taiwan still boasts a number of temples that are over 300 years old. Many of them provide fine examples of ancient carvings and artwork but, unfortunately, some of the renovations that have been undertaken over the years have brought less than stellar results. Solid stone carvings have been replaced with concrete, painstaking wood and inlaid panel carvings have simply been removed and then painted back on as caricatures of the original work, and many wood carved figures have been replaced with plastic. It seems that much of the ancient art has been cast aside as being too costly and time-consuming --in other words, not in step with the laws, costs, and time frames that increasingly rule modern-day construction projects.

The spectacular arched, red roofs of the temple. Authentic Temple Architecture
This is not the case in the town of Sanhsia, located about 22 kilometers southwest of Taipei. The town's Tsu Shih Temple is, perhaps, one of the best examples of Chinese temple architecture in the world. The structure has been under constant renovation since 1947, and the work is still going on. Originally built in 1769, the temple is dedicated to the memory of Chen Chao-ying (陳昭應), a Sung dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) warrior who fought to drive the Mongols from China more than 700 years ago. He failed, but his example of resistance eventually spread and led to the overthrow of the Mongolian Yuan dynasty (1279-1367) and the establishment of the Chinese-ruled Ming dynasty in 1368. Chen Chao-ying was eventually deified in a temple in Fukien province and his image was later brought to Taiwan by Ming dynasty settlers who established their homes in Sanhsia and built the original temple to the now-deified, Chen Chao-ying.

Over the decades the temple has faced natural and man-made disasters, including an earthquake in 1834 and razing by the occupying Japanese army in 1895. Today the temple stands as a staggering work of art in progress. It also stands in stark contrast to many of the shoddy renovation efforts that have already put their stamp on too many of Taiwan's temples.

A professor named Li Mei-shu (李梅樹) was almost single-handedly responsible for the outstanding renovation efforts that have taken place at the temple. He was given the job of renovating the temple following Taiwan's return to Chinese rule in 1945. A native of Sanhsia and a dedicated scholar of Chinese art and history, Li gave 36 years of his life to making certain that all the temple's re-creations of Tang and Sung dynasty temple architecture were carried out with the utmost attention to quality and detail.

The realistic facial expressions on some of the carvings are exceptionally detailed. A Masterpiece in Stone
When first approaching the Tsu Shih Temple one is seized with a sense of gravity and amazement. It is immediately different from any other temple-going experience that one may have in Taiwan. The temple is usually shrouded in fragrant smoke from the burning incense of worshippers, but as you approach, the sheer detail and intricacy of the carvings begin to come into focus. At first glance, it is totally overwhelming. Your eyes and mind cannot begin to decipher the layers of relief carvings that align the ceiling beams and cover the columns; but as you adjust to the intricacy of the place, carvings become more isolated and begin to unfold, each telling a story that relates to centuries of Chinese folklore and history.

Teams of skilled craftsmen have dedicated their lives to renovating the Tsu Shih Temple. The thing that really sets the Tsu Shih Temple apart are its stone pillars. Each pillar has been laboriously carved from a solid slab of stone. The two pillars at the front of the temple contain massive dragons that seem to writhe out of the stone. There are places in the pillars where you are able to peer through the webs of writhing dragons and see out the opposite side, making the exquisite structures a perfect balance of delicate beauty and functional strength. Another pair of pillars contain exactly 100 birds, each one different from the next, all perched in the delicate and perfectly wrought branches of a tree that extend up towards the ceiling. One set of pillars contains carvings of famous generals and gods from Chinese history. Each figure is frozen among the coils of a giant serpent, locked in a pose and facial expression that is totally unique from all the others. It is said that each individual pillar took 1,000 working days to complete, with teams of sculptors plying their trade daily.

A Living, Working Temple
The temple is something that should not be missed by those who are interested in authentic Chinese art. The fact that it has not been dismantled and moved to a museum adds immensely to its value and interest. It is a piece of art and history; but it is still a working temple, crowded with throngs of worshipping Buddhists and Taoists. One can sit in the temple, staring off into the webs of sculpture, and imagine how it must have been 200 years ago, with wafting incense, prayer bells, burning spirit money, and the din of vendors carrying over the walls from the ancient streets beyond. Inside, the temple can seem like a movie set or a dream trip back to a time long past; but thanks to the efforts of Professor Li and many of the other skilled craftsmen who have dedicated their lives to the temple, it is all delightfully real.