The Politics of Locality by Hsin-Yi Lu

Author:Hsin-Yi Lu [Lu, Hsin-Yi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781138995116
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2016-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

Following the County Hall, the Elephant firm began its third project in llan. Atayal Bridge was built in October of 1997, named after the largest aboriginal group in llan to “honor the tribe and to show how we Han people respect other ethnic groups.”37 The designers of the bridge took their main inspiration from traditional Atayal symbolism. The blue bow-like road lamp symbolized the bows of Atayal men, whereas the dark orange viewpoints on the sideways imitated the baskets used by Atayal women. Interestingly, the symbolism was drawn from anthropological studies of the Atayal tribe's hunting tradition.

The next project that the firm took, and by far the most controversial and ambitious, was the new Erh-chieh Wanggong Temple. The original Erh-chieh Wanggong Temple, built in 1929, was among the most popular temples in llan. Located on the Lan Yang riverfront, the temple attracted many followers who came to the temple for blessing before crossing the river.

In 1986, the temple committee decided that the old temple was not spacious enough to accommodate its increasing number of followers. They decided to renovate the temple. In the conventional sense, it would have meant to tear down the old building and rebuild a new one at the same location. Also as with most other Taiwanese temple committee, the leaders of the temple took several trips to study the architecture styles of other temples. Finally they decided on a Wanggong temple in Tainan as the model for their new construction.

Due to its significance and fame, however, some people contended that the original building characterized an important keystone of temple architecture in llan, and thus should be preserved even though it was not a “national registered heritage site.” The county government and the cultural office intervened, expressing their concerns over the preservation issue and encouraging the temple committee to find an alternative option to demolishing the whole structure. Magistrate Yu attended the annual meeting for the temple community and expressed his hopes that the new temple design would be distinctive. Yu said, “The renovated temple should have its own characteristics, based on far-sighted vision and enduring materials. We want to give our next generation a cultural property that will last for more than a thousand years.”38

Accordingly, the committee decided to open the design selection process. They solicited proposals from professional architects and let the community people make the final decision. In the following year, the Elephant's proposal was approved unanimously in the community meeting. The old temple would be moved and preserved; the model for the new temple was displayed in the community center, with illustrations of the final design. This decision was contentious, however. The unconventional form of the design, which had two curved side-wings and a high-ceiled worship center, did not resemble any of the existing temples in Taiwan. Therefore its authenticity and religious validity came under attack.

According to the designer, they wanted to build a temple in accordance to the local demands. The temple was to be a part of community life. It had to preserve a sense of sacredness, but also be innovative in its cultural form.

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