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Baohuan Temple Celebrates 150th Anniversary with Restored Artifacts After Flood Damage

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A temple in Hualien, Taiwan, has completed the first phase of emergency repairs on 57 cultural artifacts damaged by a flood in September last year.
  • The repairs, a collaboration between the Taiwan Association for Cultural Heritage Preservation and four universities, focused onไปๅƒ (Buddha statues), altars, banners, and temple door paintings.
  • The temple is celebrating its 150th anniversary with an exhibition showcasing the restored items, though it still faces challenges with proper storage facilities for the artifacts.

The recent celebration at Baohuan Temple, marking its 150th anniversary, is a testament to the resilience of our cultural heritage in Hualien. Last year's flood, caused by the Mata'an Creek landslide, threatened to engulf precious artifacts, but a remarkable effort has brought many of them back to life.

The first phase of restoration for artifacts from Baohuan Temple has been completed, with 22 items returned to the temple for display until the end of June.

· Taiwan Association for Cultural Heritage PreservationAnnouncing the completion of the first phase of restoration efforts.

The Taiwan Association for Cultural Heritage Preservation, in partnership with four esteemed universitiesโ€”National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University of Arts, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, and Cheng Shiu Universityโ€”mobilized students and experts. Their dedication ensured that 57 items, including Buddha statues, altars, and temple door paintings, received urgent attention. This collaborative spirit is what defines our community's commitment to safeguarding our history.

It's particularly heartening to see the successful restoration of 22 items, now on display. Among these are six Buddha statues found in the Hualien River estuary after being swept away by the floodwaters. Their restoration, led by Associate Professor Wu Ying-chun of NTNU's Fine Arts Department, has brought back their former glory, a process that emphasizes 'restoring the old as the old.' This meticulous approach ensures that the artifacts retain their historical integrity while being preserved for future generations.

We are restoring the old as the old, allowing the Baohuan Temple's 'Po Jie' statues to shine again.

· Wu Ying-junAssociate Professor at National Taiwan Normal University's Fine Arts Department, describing the restoration approach for the statues.

While we celebrate this significant achievement, the need for proper archival and preservation facilities remains critical. The temple's board chairman, Lan Yang, rightly points out the vulnerability of the returned artifacts to humidity. As we continue to honor our past, it is imperative that we invest in the infrastructure necessary to protect these invaluable pieces of Taiwanese heritage. This story, while highlighting a disaster, is fundamentally about our collective will to preserve our identity.

The temple is very grateful for the great assistance from all parties regarding the temple's artifacts. Currently, the returned statues and hats do not have professional artifact storage and preservation facilities, and we are worried they cannot withstand the humidity. We hope to establish artifact exhibition and storage equipment in the future.

· Lan YangBaohuan Temple Chairman, expressing gratitude and highlighting the need for better preservation facilities.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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