Tainan's Xishu Daitianfu Wanhuang Temple Certified as the 10th Temple Museum in the City

The Tainan City Government is promoting a 'Temple Museum Project,' and the Xishu Daitianfu Wanhuang Temple in the South District has been officially certified as the 10th temple museum in Tainan City today, recognized for its long-term commitment to the preservation of traditional crafts and cultural inheritance, housing a diverse collection of craft resources. Tainan's Deputy Mayor, Jiang Lin-huang, stated during the certification ceremony that the city has been promoting the 'Temple Museum Project' since 2022. Through empowerment, guidance, and a certification system, the project helps temples transform their existing craft and artifact resources into cultural venues for public understanding and experience, allowing citizens to appreciate the beauty of traditional crafts in their daily religious life. Jiang Lin-huang pointed out that the Xishu Daitianfu Wanhuang Temple, a local center of faith, gathers diverse craft resources. These include the 'Python Dragon and Landscape Guanyin Stone Carving Imperial Path,' carved by stone sculptor Shi Hong-yi based on artist Tsai Tsao-ju's drafts; wall reliefs and deity statues by clay sculptor Du Mu-he; joint 'jien nian' (mosaic-like temple decoration) works by master Ye Jin-lu and his son Ye Ming-ji; and painted works by father-and-son painters Pan Li-shui and Pan Yueh-hsiung, presenting a craft landscape shaped by different generations of artisans. Lin Wei-hsu, Deputy Director of the Tainan City Cultural Affairs Bureau, said that in recent years, the Wanhuang Temple has actively promoted artifact inventory and cultural interpretation. Besides establishing systematic craft data and planning themed guided tours, it has also collaborated with Xishu Elementary School to cultivate 'Junior Tour Guides,' embedding cultural education to involve local students in the process of cultural inheritance. Lin Wei-hsu also mentioned that the temple actively manages social media, translating its cultural assets into 'one-minute-to-understand' short posts for promotion, and has published books such as 'Xishuzai's 390 Winters' and 'Gui Jiao Wan Huang Qing.' These efforts have transformed the temple from a place of worship into a base for producing and disseminating cultural knowledge, embodying the spirit that 'a temple is a museum'.