Cultural Heritage Department of Taichung City

The 6th National Cultural Heritage Preservation Award ceremony was held at Cultural Heritage Park in Taichung City on Oct. 20. This year’s awardees include Shoyoen Japanese Garden (逍遙園) in Kaohsiung City, heritage preservationist Li Chien-lang (李乾朗), and sculptor Shih Chih-hui (施至輝). Culture Minister Shih Che presented the award to these winners, congratulating them and commending their great contribution to safeguarding cultural assets.

Minister Shih stated that cultural heritage is a significant representation of past history and collective memories, adding that restoring cultural assets not only helps lay a solid foundation for constructing Taiwanese cultural identity but also pass down the core value of cultural heritage. He thanked the three awardees for their determined efforts in preserving cultural heritage, hoping that, with the collaboration between the government and the private sector, Taiwan’s unique and diverse culture will garner global attention and shine on the international stage.

Built in 1939 and open in 1940, Kaohsiung’s Shoyoen Japanese Garden was a villa owned by Kozui Otani (大谷光瑞), a Japanese Buddhist leader and explorer who was the 22nd Abbot of Nishi Hongan-ji (西本願寺). After the World War II, the villa was included in Xingren New Village (行仁新村), a military dependents' settlement. The historical building was neglected and underutilized, which resulted in a state of dilapidation. 

To restore Shoyoen Japanese Garden to its original condition, the Kaohsiung City Government invited several Japanese craftsmen to come to Taiwan to promote the interchange of repair techniques and traditional construction methods in the hope of achieving a higher quality of restoration. After years of investigation, research, and construction, a system for recording and preserving authentic historical materials of the historical building has been well-established, which can be said to be a model for the conservation of cultural property.

Heritage preservationist Li Chien-lang is an architectural historian and heritage specialist, who has devoted more than 50 years to historic preservation. He has thrown himself into field investigation and research on ancient buildings, constructing a theoretical framework for Taiwanese architectural history, discovering traditional architectural techniques in Taiwan, and collecting a wealth of information on Taiwan’s historical and cultural property. As of 2022, Li had completed 77 research projects on historic monuments and published 108 related books, becoming influential in promoting cultural heritage conservation. 

Veteran artisan Shih Chih-hui has dedicated himself to the trade of wooden Buddha sculptures since the age of 16. Shih mastered the intricate craft encompassing wood sculpturing, clay molding, gold inlaying, resin weaving, and painting. Shih was certified as a preserver of traditional divine sculpture art by the Ministry of Culture in 2011. He spared no efforts in mentoring apprentices, selflessly passing down his own experiences and skills to the younger generation.