Making a Name–Distinctive Lintel Plaques in the Old Town
文、攝影／龔書永
中式建築如果沒有門額，就不算完整了。門額會以各式各樣的形式出現在寺廟、公共建築、橋樑、隧道入口、私人住宅甚至是墓碑上。這也是最能彰顯門額所在場地的精神的另一種方式。左營舊城的北門被命名為「拱辰門」，可見其崇高的重要性。如果是私人宅第，根據中國傳統習俗，通常會在門額刻上宗族姓氏。宗族姓氏可以反映家族起源；華人就是透過這種方式追根溯源、緬懷祖先。一般來說，同一個地區只會有少數家族擁有同樣的姓氏。華人移民的足跡遍布東南亞各個國家，因此門額是他們謹記那段漂泊過往的最好方式。每逢清明節等特殊節日，有些海外華人甚至會不辭千里回到在中國的祖祠祭拜，以便回去「尋根」並祭拜祖先。這種傳統充分體現了華人的家族觀念。
Chinese buildings are never complete without lintel plaques. They show up in one form or another at temples, public buildings, bridges, tunnel entrances, private residences, and even headstones. This is another way to manifest the ethos that best represents the venue on which the plaque is placed. The north gate here in the Old Town, Zuoying, was christened “Polaris Gate,” suggesting its majestic prominence. As for private properties, Chinese traditional practice tells us that the clan’s name is always preferred. The name of a clan certainly reflects the place of origin of a family; and this is how Chinese people trace their lineage to honor their ancestors. As a general, a handful of families from the same geographical region will share the same clan’s name. In southeast Asian countries where Chinese immigrants are prevalent, lintel plaques are the best reminder of their wandering past. On special holidays such as the tomb sweeping festival, some overseas Chinese even go to great lengths to return to their ancestral shrines back in China. This is to go back to “their roots” to pay tribute to their own forefathers. Such tradition speaks volumes about the Chinese philosophy of family.
左營舊城各個門額
Lintel plaques in the Old Town
然而，在左營舊城，事情有了耐人尋味的轉折。在這裡，有些門額上的姓氏在中國就根本找不到，例如梅魁、鴻禧、積善家和慶有餘。為什麼這些家族要換一個全新的姓氏呢？背後有什麼不可告人的秘密嗎？對於一個比其他民族更強調家族觀念的社群來說，這一切聽起來太不尋常了。我們知道，作為一個華人聚落，左營舊城已有近四百年的歷史。直至今日，仍有許多家族一直掛著原有宗族姓氏的門額。不幸的是，即便是那些掛著全新姓氏門額的家族後代，也完全不知道為什麼他們的祖先在某個時候決定「拋棄傳統」，「開啟全新篇章」。這種差異引發了學者和當地人的好奇心。多年以來，沒有人知道這個答案，直到有人決定破解這個「密碼」。
Nonetheless, here in the Old Town things took an interesting turn. Some plaques are nowhere to be found in China; names like Mei-kuei (梅魁), Hong-shi (鴻禧), Chi San Chia (積善家), Ching Yow Yu (慶有餘). But why did they switch to a brand-new clan name? Can there be an unspeakable secret behind? It all sounds too unusual for a community that emphasizes family concept over anything else. We know today that the Old Town has a history of nearly four hundred years as a Chinese settlement; and up until today there are still many families that hold firmly onto their original clan’s name. Unfortunately, not even the descendants of those families with new clan names have the slightest idea why at some point their ancestors decided to “leave the tradition behind” and “start a whole new chapter.” Such disparity triggered the curiosity of scholars as well as the locals. And for many years nobody knew the answer, until someone decided to crack the “Enigma code.”
尋找根源
Cracking the code
廖德宗是在其中一個懸掛「特殊門額」的家庭長大的。他和他的團隊透過口述歷史和戶籍文件探討這個地區的罕見現象。某次，他透過訪談蒐集資料，卻一直理不出頭緒，眼看就要查不下去了。這時，廖德宗突然靈機一動。他徵得受訪者的許可，查看他們家中神龕上的祖先牌位，以「回溯更久遠的歷史」。華人會把祖先的名字寫在代表祖先的牌位上，祭拜牌位象徵著向祖先表達敬意。不出幾分鐘的時間，廖德宗就認識受訪者「祖宗十八代」從近代上溯至清代的每一個人了。另一個有效的調查工具是日治時代（1895-1945）的戶籍文件。儘管這些手寫文件已有百年歷史，但卻出奇地準確。畢竟，日本人做事是出了名的一絲不苟。經過交叉比對、翻閱一堆記錄和文獻之後，廖德宗終於大概勾勒出先人的生活樣貌。許多細節逐一變得清晰起來，例如他們來自哪裡、與誰結婚，以及特定事件的發生時間。這項任務並不困難，但對一個業餘的文史工作者來說，卻相當單調乏味而又耗費時間。廖先生目前是一名專業土地測量技師，他辦公室裡的東西無疑也為他的研究做出極大貢獻。他將古地圖重疊到現代的Google地圖上，藉此了解這座城鎮如何演變成我們今日所看到的樣子。此外，現有地產業主的佐證也驗證了受訪者的說法，因為土地出售對象等等資訊一目了然。
Liao Teh Chong (transliteration) was raised in one of those households with “special lintel plaques.” He and his teammates turned to oral history and registration documents to shed light on this peculiar rarity in the neighborhood. On one occasion, the information obtained during an interview came to a deadlock, and it seemed to be the end of the road. But suddenly an inspiration came to Liao. Being at the house of the interviewee, he asked for permission to check the ancestral tablet on the shrine to “go further back in time.” The Chinese write the names of their forefathers on the tablet that represents their ancestors, thus worshiping such a tablet is a symbolic gesture of honoring them. In just a few minutes, Liao “met everyone” throughout the generations, from the most recent ones to those in the Qing dynasty. Another effective tool at hand was the household registration document dating back to the Japanese colonial era (1895-1945). These hand-written papers turned out to be surprisingly accurate despite being a century old; after all, the Japanese are famous for being meticulous in everything they do. By doing some cross comparison and scrutinizing through a pile of records and documents, Liao was finally able to sketch a rough picture of the life of their early ancestors. Many details became clear; such as where they came from, who they married, and when certain events happened. The task was not that difficult at all, but it was tedious and time consuming for an amateur. Mr. Liao is currently a land measurement cartographer by profession, and undoubtedly things from his office contributed quite a lot to the outcome of his research. By overlapping ancient maps on a modern Google map, he was able to see how the town evolved into what we see today. Furthermore, the corroboration of current property owners validated the accounts of interviewees, since it became clear who sold the land to whom.
延續血脈
Continuity of the lineage
華人社會是父系社會，只能透過承襲家族姓氏的男性繼承人來延續香火。沒有生出男性子嗣的家族只能採取非傳統的措施。招贅和收養養子是當時延續血統的主要作法。然而，在許多情況下，被招贅或收養的男性很難在一個他人與自己「不同」的社群中，面對自己不光彩的處境。而那些最終透過成為顯要人士而「擺脫困境」的男性，總是抓住機會讓自己成名。
The Chinese community is a patriarchal society; thus, the continuity of the family is only possible through a male heir, who bears the family name. In families where male offsprings are not born, an unconventional measure would have to be taken. Uxorilocal marriages and child adoptions were the predominant practices of the time to extend the lineage. However, in many cases the males involved find it difficult to come to terms with their dishonorable plight in a community where everyone else is “different.” Those who eventually “fought their way out” by becoming a prominent figure had always grabbed the opportunity to make a name for themselves.
揚名立萬
Making a name for himself
蓋一座有特殊門額的大房子，無疑是一個引人注目、與人做出區別的方法。以當時的標準來看，這些華麗的房屋與普通人買得起的簡陋小屋相比，形成了巨大的反差。在那個經濟拮据的年代，這種特立獨行的作法傳達了一個明確的訊息，那就是「我可以做我想做的事。」 這也許可以看成「對自己所遭受的損失的一種補償」。對他們來說，錢已經不是問題了。無論是建材還是工藝，這些房子的一切都是最上等的，而且有些過度建造。這也說明了為什麼舊城的古宅最多只能維持90年，而少數古宅超過百年卻仍存在。但這些人似乎決心斷絕與在中國的祖先的一切聯繫，因為這些特殊門額無法再顯示他們的血脈起源。由於返回中國故鄉的機會渺茫，這種「重生」呼應了大多數先民跨越臺灣海峽，以全新身分定居新土地的心態。
Unquestionably, building a big house with a special lintel plaque was really an eye-catching distinction. By the standards of the time, these opulent houses were a huge contrast compared to those flimsy huts that ordinary people could afford. In a time of austerity, this uniqueness speaks volumes by delivering a clear message, “I had it my way.” Maybe this can be seen as a “compensation for the suffered losses.” Now that money was no object, in terms of material and craftsmanship, everything was top notch and slightly overbuilt. This helps explain why after more than a century there are still a few of them around, when most of the ancient houses in the Old Town can only last for ninety years at most. But it seems that these individuals were determined to sever all kinds of ties with their ancestors back in China since the special lintel plaques can no longer indicate the origin of their lineage. Since chances of returning home back in China were extremely rare, this “renaissance” echoed the mentality of most pioneers that made their way across the Taiwan strait to resettle in a new land with a brand-new identity.
老房子，新時代
Old houses in a modern time
幸運的是，這些古蹟的現任屋主中，有些人出於不同的原因，正努力維護他們的祖屋。令史愛好者高興的是，部分古宅被改造成民宿、餐廳和商店。如今，永續性將決定左營舊城歷史上這些即將消失的篇章的未來。每次你在這些地方購買商品，都是在幫助他們繼續進行這項了不起的工作，讓這顆時空膠囊得以延續，讓其他人可以踏上回到過去的旅程。
Fortunately, some current owners of these relics are making an effort to maintain their ancestral houses for different reasons. And to the delight of culture and history lovers, some of them were converted into B&Bs, restaurants, and shops. Sustainability is now the decisive factor for the future of these vanishing pages in the history of the Old Town. Every time you buy something from these venues, you’re in fact helping them to continue the awesome job of perpetuating the time capsule so that someone else can embark on a journey into the past.
從後見之明的觀點來看，正是這種困境促使他們努力做得比別人更好，甚至超越周遭的人的期望。換句話說，這些特殊門額是第一任屋主的榮譽徽章。用現在的網路用語來說，我們應該為早年那些被人們視為失敗者的無名英雄按個讚。
In hindsight, it was in fact the predicament that fueled their struggle to do better than others, and even exceed the expectations of the people around them. To put it differently, these special lintel plaques are the badge of honor for the first house owners. In today’s cyber language, we should click a thumbs up to the unsung heroes who were seen as losers in those days.
