Worshippers at the temple, located in the south-island fishing village of Chiating, were tired of taking care of the original structure, which had already undergone five major repairs and reconstructions since it was built in 1877, the latest one in 1962. Rather than go to the trouble of another repair, they decided to erect a new, bigger, and fancier temple.
But as the demolition crew got to work with its power saws and excavators, and antique dealers started buying up the bits and pieces, a group of people with a broader historical perspective took notice. The administrators of the National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung saw an excellent opportunity to add an imaginative new display to the museum's Chinese Exhibition Hall—a reconstructed temple.
"It wasn't that old and was not graded as a national cultural monument, but the carvings were excellent," says Chen Yi-tsung (陳益宗), who headed the reconstruction project. The fishermen in the village, he explains, had been willing to donate the money to build an elaborate temple in the hopes that the gods would return the favor by blessing them with good fishing harvests. Because of its location and the occupation of its worshippers, the decorations of the temple were also unique. "There are many depictions of marine life," Chen says, "like fish, shrimp, and crabs, which are seldom seen in inland temples."
Temple restorer Chen Yi-tsung—"We tried to be as loyal as possible to the original, without adding our own ideas."
But by the time the museum decided to take on the reconstruction, most of the temple had already been torn down, and putting it back together seemed an insurmountable task. Many of the original carved structural parts had been saved, but none had been numbered, as they were going to be sold piece by piece. Museum workers salvaged what they could from the demolition site and also bought about five hundred pieces from antique dealers, which cost about US$200,000. When it came to actually putting the pieces together, the only thing Chen had to go by was a poor-quality eight-millimeter film of the demolition and a few out-of-focus photos. Adding to his troubles, he was given only five months to finish the job.
It took a month and a half just to categorize the thousands of fragmented pieces and to match up the mortise-and-tendon joints. "That was the most difficult and time-consuming step," says Chen, who had to work alone on this initial part of the project. He found that many of the structural parts, such as the beams and columns, were badly damaged if not missing. He realized he would have to use new wood, including Chinese juniper, camphor, and fir, for 60 percent of the project, and that the reconstruction would have to focus on the intricate ceiling and the carved support beams of the roof.
Once the actual reconstruction work started, Chen worked with a team of about ten experienced temple builders and carvers. Because the contract stipulated that each day behind schedule would cost a penalty of US$6,000, they worked long days, from early morning to nine in the evening. "It almost drove me crazy," Chen recalls. Often he would buy the crew some rice wine in order to entice them to work late. Finally, in February 1993, they finished the project on time, with 95 percent of the former design preserved. "We tried to be as loyal as possible to the original, without adding our own ideas," Chen says.
Because its purpose is to give viewers a clear view of the building's structure, the final museum display is unlike any other temple reconstruction: the roof and its complex interior structure hang indoors, suspended from the museum's ceiling. Because the entire section is much lower than can be found in an actual temple, viewers can get a close look at the elaborately carved beams and the delicate ceiling, which is made of finely worked pieces of wood originally linked together without nails. Chen decided not to repaint the temple so that people can easily tell which parts are old and which are new. Also on display is the shrine area, which rests on the floor, and various statues and other altar accessories, displayed in glass cases.
Since it went on exhibit in August 1993, the reconstructed temple has been one of the major new attractions at the museum. But like a typical perfectionist, Chen is not quite satisfied with the results. He finds that the lighting system, designed by Japanese contractors, interferes with the overall effect. "The modern lights," he complains, "contrast with the temple's traditional feel." And concerning his own reconstruction work, he is even more dissatisfied. "If only I could have had ten more days!" he exclaims.