Conservation of Historical Temples

Abstract

In the field of architectural heritage conservation of a Taiwanese temple, great timber construction and polychrome paintings are two main aspects which determine the quality of a restoration project. I will elaborate the techniques for restoration of polychrome paintings in the Jiuru Sanshan Guowang temple and demonstrate the reconstruction process of Xinhui Temple, which was the object of a ‘hetero-preservation’ process conducted by the Old Architecture Rescue Center at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, to reveal the exquisite beauty and sophisticated characteristics of Taiwanese temples. Construction and its ornaments have always been important aspects throughout architectural history, and especially in traditional Chinese wooden architecture they represent an inseparable relationship. In this paper, I would like to discuss two Taiwanese traditional temples named Xinhui (1721, reconstructed in 1926) and Guowang (1774, reconstructued in 1929) in Pingtung regarding their conservation practice. I focus on two essential aspects of craftsmanship—great timber construction and polychrome paintings. The Dei-Dou Shi type used in great timber structure is the most sophisticated construction representing Taiwanese artistic crafts with a modern structural logic of simplicity embedded in its mortise-socket connection technology. I will demonstrate the reconstruction process of the great timber structure for the emergency conservation of Xinhui Temple. Polychrome wood paintings and frescoes are unique for expressing the quality of a temple. They are fragile, therefore hard to conserve and restore. I will discuss the restoration of polychrome paintings, including ethics, processes, techniques, and materials so as to preserve the authenticity of artefacts. The results show that by strictly following restoration ethics in the case of Guowang Temple, it can serve as an important reference case for cultural heritage conservation. The ‘hetero-preservation’ of Dei-Dou Shi of the great timber structure in the Xinhui Temple demonstrates a case of emergency conservation practices, from deconstruction to reconstruction. The conservation of polychrome paintings in the case of the Guowang Temple suggests a set of restoration techniques and ethics for revealing their ornamental beauty. The experience acquired from both projects is valuable in terms of the architectural conservation history of Taiwanese temples.