Tainan temple digs out of storage a priceless embroidered flag
Tainan temple digs out of storage a priceless embroidered flag
2024-11-06
One of Taiwan’s oldest temples is creating a record of its historical artifacts, and preparing them for display in a new museum. Shang Di Temple in Tainan City’s Xiaying District has dug out of obscurity an almost 10-meter-long flag. It’s covered in exquisite embroidery, with many details full of religious and historical significance. It may be the longest such flag in Taiwan. Historians say the flag, as well as many other artifacts at the temple, are important both for religious reasons and for broader cultural heritage.
This nearly 10-meter-long temple procession flag has been locked up for decades. Now it’s seen the light of day again as part of a reorganization of the temple’s artifacts.
This flag was carried at the front of a procession, at the head of a team inspecting the temple’s precinct with the deity Xuanwu. It’s embroidered front and back, with embellishments rich in historical lore. The figures and horse riders on the front are made of very detailed 3D embroidery. Most temple flags nowadays are embroidered by computer programs. Handmade embroidery like this is more and more unusual.
Hsu Yu-chin
Xiaying Shang Di Temple director general
One side illustrates “Journey to the West,” and the other, “Investiture of the Gods.” Every stitch is so fine. And the design is 3D.
The temple is preparing a new museum hall, to feature the procession flag, as well as ancient incense burners, calligraphy inscriptions, Cochin ceramics, and clay and wooden sculptures. Almost all are precious artifacts dating back to the Japanese colonial era or the early years of the ROC. The temple has recently begun to open up the store where they’re kept, to photograph and document them. It plans to open its museum hall to the public at the end of this year.
Hsu Yu-chin
Xiaying Shang Di Temple director general
Our deity, the Great Emperor, is quite extravagant. His troops and the objects he uses are larger in scale.
The artifacts housed at ancient temples are an important part of Taiwan’s folk history. Historians say that these ancient temples are not just significant for their religious purposes; they should be conserved as an integral part of Taiwanese culture.
Chou Chih-ming
Historical research expert
If we, ourselves, arrange these artifacts, then firstly we’ll feel a deep connection with them, and secondly we’ll be really careful, because these objects belong to our own faith.
Shang Di Temple was founded more than 300 years ago, and its primary deity is the “Great Emperor,” also known as Xuanwu. A flag like this one is full of craftsmanship, historical significance, and religious meaning. It even includes many interesting details related to the daily life of bygone generations: there’s much more here than meets the eye.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
玄天上帝廟頭旗亮相! 手工繡製長10公尺號稱全台之最
2024-11-06
台南下營的玄天上帝廟，最近啟動文物整理，還從庫藏的木箱中，發現一面頭旗，年代可以追溯到日治時期，繡工精緻，保存也相當完好。上頭的人物、坐騎，栩栩如生，還長達10公尺。這面可能是全台最長的頭旗亮相，也讓民眾可以一窺，台灣早期繡製頭旗的精緻工藝。
這面長達將近10公尺的頭旗，陳封了數十年，最近廟方重新整理文物，才重見天日。
玄天上帝繞境隊伍前的頭旗，前後都有歷史故事的刺繡，上方的人物和坐騎，繡得立體又精緻，和如今大多是電腦刺繡的頭旗相比，這種傳統手繡製成的頭旗，已經愈來愈罕見。
[[台南下營上帝廟總幹事 許禹錦]]
“一邊是西遊記一邊是封神榜，每個紋路都很細膩，而且是立體的”
不但有頭旗，廟方規劃的文物館，香爐、籤詩板、交趾陶、泥塑和木雕，幾乎全都是日治到民國初期的珍貴文物，廟方最近針對這些文物，開封、拍照記錄，打算在年底對外開放。
[[台南下營上帝廟總幹事 許禹錦]]
“我們上帝爺公比較霸氣喔，祂做的陣頭用的東西，尺寸方面有比較大一些”
事實上，歷史悠久的大廟文物，是庶民文化歷史中，很重要的一環，文史專家們也建議，古廟不僅有宗教意義，也應該成為文化保留的一環。
[[文史調查專家 周志明]]
“我們自己來整理這些文物，第一會很有感情，第二他們一定會很小心，因為這是屬於自己信仰的東西”
下營上帝廟創建於300多年前，主祀玄天上帝。一面頭旗裡，有工藝、有時代背景、有信仰內涵，還有更多過去生活樣態的細節在其中，裡頭的內行門道，可是說都說不完。
更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00
Related News
