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Shilin Shen Nong Temple

2017-07-04
The current architecture of Shenlong Temple consists of two courtyards with five bays. Above the side rooms on both sides of the Sanchuandian (Hall of the Three Passages), there are bell and drum towers. The main hall of Shenlong Temple has two stories, with the main deity, the Great Emperor of Agriculture, enshrined in the center of the second floor. On the first floor, the central shrine is dedicated to the God of Land and Wealth (Tudigong). In addition to the three doors of the Sanchuandian, there are also two more doors in front of the side rooms on both sides. Since the Great Emperor of Agriculture is a deity of imperial rank, the temple's front can have more than five doors to demonstrate the deity's exalted status. During ancient China's imperial era, the architectural styles of temples were regulated by the imperial court to be consistent with the status of the deities they enshrined. Originally named "Zhilan Temple," Shenlong Temple was a shrine dedicated to the God of Land and Wealth. However, during the Qianlong era, when the locals rebuilt the temple for the God of Land and Wealth, they used the swallow-tail style of roof tiles, which was only permitted for deities of imperial rank. This not only highlighted the importance of the God of Land and Wealth in the hearts of the early settlers, but also made the temple too luxurious, violating the regulations. To avoid the temple being demolished, the locals added the Great Emperor of Agriculture, who had an imperial rank, as the main deity. This transformation reflected the mutual compromise and integration between the Han Chinese temples, the Confucian social order, and the local people's religious beliefs. Shenlong Temple has undergone multiple renovations, but many old items have been preserved, such as the stone dragon pillars in front of the Sanchuandian, the stone beams and stone-carved windows inside the temple, the longevity tablet from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, the incense burner from the Xianfeng era, and the statues of the Great Emperor of Agriculture and the God of Land and Wealth carved in the Qing Dynasty. The columns on both sides of the main hall are made of stone from the Japanese colonial period, and the main hall's wall design is still in the style of the Japanese colonial period. The use of Guanyin Mountain stone, which has a distinctive historical style, is now difficult to reproduce in modern times. The temple also preserves many stone tablets recording the history of temple restorations and the names of donors, as well as the "Jingzi Ting" (a pavilion for burning paper with characters), which testifies to the development of the Shilin area and the prosperous literary culture of the early days. Inside Shenlong Temple, there are many statues of the Great Emperor of Agriculture. The image of the Great Emperor of Agriculture typically has two forms: one is the primitive man style, with the deity naked and barefoot, wearing only leaves on the shoulders and waist, holding a golden rice stalk, symbolizing the invention of agriculture and the transition from primitive to civilized society; the other is the imperial style, with the deity wearing imperial clothes and hats, symbolizing the exalted status of Chinese civilization and the ancestral founder of the nation. The Great Emperor of Agriculture enshrined in Shenlong Temple is in the primitive man form, with red and black faces. The red face symbolizes the healthy and rosy appearance of the Emperor of Agriculture after the invention of agriculture, as he consumed five grains. The black face represents the Emperor of Agriculture's darkened face after accidentally eating poisonous herbs, commemorating his sacrifice in finding medicinal herbs for the people. On the other hand, there are many traditional "Jiaozhi Tao" (a type of colored glazed ceramic) works in Shenlong Temple, created by Chen Zhuanyou (born in 1911), a disciple of the Hong Kunfu school, one of the outstanding artisans of the "Five Tigers" in the mid-20th century in Taiwan's temple architecture. The "Jiaozhi Tao" decorations in Taiwanese temples often take traditional opera stories as themes. A single theme story on one wall is called a "chu tou" (a "scene" or "act"). Inside the Sanchuandian of Shenlong Temple, there are six "chu tou" of Jiaozhi Tao. In addition, there is a "shuiche du" (a "water wheel" wall) near the eaves on the front wall and two "duikan du" (a "pair of viewing walls") on the opposite walls on both sides, making a total of twelve "chu tou" of Jiaozhi Tao. Each "chu tou" has more than seven figures, with a large number of characters, whose postures are delicate and expressive, preserving rich traditional decorative art works.
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