Hero Chen Sacrificed Himself in Flood 181 Years Ago; Yunlin Builds 'Water-Fighting Hero' Monument
To commemorate Chen Ying-hsiung, who sacrificed his life saving others during a major flood 181 years ago, Yunlin County is investing 20 million NTD to build a 7-meter-tall stainless steel public art piece, slated for completion in September.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 14:56
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(Central News Agency, Reporter Chiang I-ching, Yunlin County, 22nd) A flood occurred in Yunlin 181 years ago, during which Chen Ying-hsiung sacrificed himself to save others; descendants transformed his legacy into a deity worshipped at the Jinhu Wanshan Temple. To reinterpret local disaster memory through art, the county government raised funds to build a 7-meter-tall "Water-Fighting Hero," expected to be completed in September.
The Yunlin County Government held a groundbreaking ceremony for the "Water-Fighting Hero Installation Art" today at the Jinhu Wanshan Temple in Kouhu Township. The ceremony was hosted by County Magistrate Chang Li-shan, while internationally renowned artist Yang Po-lin, a Kouhu Township native, explained the creative concept.
Chang Li-shan stated that in early June of the lunar calendar in the 25th year of the Daoguang era (1845), a torrential rainstorm hit the coastal areas of Kouhu and Sihu, causing seawater intrusion that claimed thousands of lives. According to legend, resident Chen Ying-hsiung sacrificed his life in the flood to save others. Through the wash of time, this heroic past has been transformed into the deity worshipped at the Jinhu Wanshan Temple, becoming an important spiritual symbol protecting the local area.
The Yunlin County Government raised 20 million NTD in funds, expecting completion in September this year. This will transform a story passed down by word of mouth into a perceivable spatial experience through artistic creation, extending ritual culture into the modern public sphere and allowing the warmth of faith to continue flowing in contemporary life.
Yang Po-lin said that for him, the Wanshan Temple is the background of his life growing up. The existing clay statue of Chen Ying-hsiung in the temple is an early creation he made to give back to his hometown. Returning to his roots this time, he uses the clay sculpture as a prototype for an "enlarged translation." The artwork is about 7 meters tall, made of stainless steel, continuing his signature cutting and reorganization techniques. The layered steel plates flow and penetrate like ocean waves, not only meeting the challenge of strong coastal winds but also symbolizing the intertwining flow of time, memory, and water currents.
Yang Po-lin pointed out that the "Water-Fighting Hero" is endowed with a dynamic image of stepping out of the sea through the waves, carrying a child on his back and going upstream, demonstrating the will to protect others in extreme adversity. This resilience against nature, transformed through the cold yet fluid structure of metal, turns heavy historical memory into a public landscape, becoming an important observation point connecting the past and the future.
The Yunlin County Government held a groundbreaking ceremony for the "Water-Fighting Hero Installation Art" today at the Jinhu Wanshan Temple in Kouhu Township. The ceremony was hosted by County Magistrate Chang Li-shan, while internationally renowned artist Yang Po-lin, a Kouhu Township native, explained the creative concept.
Chang Li-shan stated that in early June of the lunar calendar in the 25th year of the Daoguang era (1845), a torrential rainstorm hit the coastal areas of Kouhu and Sihu, causing seawater intrusion that claimed thousands of lives. According to legend, resident Chen Ying-hsiung sacrificed his life in the flood to save others. Through the wash of time, this heroic past has been transformed into the deity worshipped at the Jinhu Wanshan Temple, becoming an important spiritual symbol protecting the local area.
The Yunlin County Government raised 20 million NTD in funds, expecting completion in September this year. This will transform a story passed down by word of mouth into a perceivable spatial experience through artistic creation, extending ritual culture into the modern public sphere and allowing the warmth of faith to continue flowing in contemporary life.
Yang Po-lin said that for him, the Wanshan Temple is the background of his life growing up. The existing clay statue of Chen Ying-hsiung in the temple is an early creation he made to give back to his hometown. Returning to his roots this time, he uses the clay sculpture as a prototype for an "enlarged translation." The artwork is about 7 meters tall, made of stainless steel, continuing his signature cutting and reorganization techniques. The layered steel plates flow and penetrate like ocean waves, not only meeting the challenge of strong coastal winds but also symbolizing the intertwining flow of time, memory, and water currents.
Yang Po-lin pointed out that the "Water-Fighting Hero" is endowed with a dynamic image of stepping out of the sea through the waves, carrying a child on his back and going upstream, demonstrating the will to protect others in extreme adversity. This resilience against nature, transformed through the cold yet fluid structure of metal, turns heavy historical memory into a public landscape, becoming an important observation point connecting the past and the future.