by 歐修梅
In Taiwan, there is a “grand temple” in every traditional Han community. It is the center for religion, entertainment, commerce, education, social gatherings, and community governance for locals.
The local “grand temples” have their own primary deities, accompany by other gods. Although Confucius, the Great Sage and Teacher, is the primary deity in official Confucian temples, he is also often enshrined as an accompanying god in other grand temples. Devotees affectionately refer to him as Lord Confucius.
Shanxi Temple is the “grand temple” in Guanziling, Tainan, dedicated to the worship of Saintly Emperor Guan Yu. Within the temple, there is a Confucius Hall that worships Confucius.
The nine shrine paintings behind the statue of Confucius are particularly noteworthy. They are woodblock prints featuring the “plain-sketch” technique by artist Pan Lishui (1914–1995), depicting scenes from the life of Confucius. There are a few noteworthy aspects of this set of artworks:
First, this set of artworks is among the last pieces created by artist Pan Lishui in his career. Shanxi Temple was established in 1982, and by 1985, Pan had become semi-retired due to health issues, leading to a significant decrease in the number of his creations.
Second, artist Pan Lishui’s door gods paintings, beam and bracket paintings, and temple murals are deeply adored in Taiwan. His plain-sketch works are relatively rare. The set of plain-sketch woodblock prints at Shanxi Temple is one such example.
At last, this set of artworks depicts a few stories from the life of Confucius. In one scene, he appears stranded, while in others, he is shown with great respect. We can imagine that, when elders bring youngsters to the temple to worship Lord Confucius, they might use these paintings to introduce the stories and deeds of Confucius to the younger generation. This serves as the simplest, most straightforward, and yet profound form of education.
