Dong Tian-bu (董天補), a cultural preservationist who specialized in making bridegroom's lanterns (子婿燈), died of heart attack at the age of 101 on Jan. 21.
Based in Kinmen County, Dong had made bridegroom's lanterns, a gift used in the traditional Southern Fukienese (閩南) wedding, for over six decades. Dong's talent in painting allowed him to paint festive patterns on lanterns and his works were used for numerous weddings at Kinmen County.
The bridegroom's lantern is one of the wedding gifts offered by the bridegroom at Kinmen County. After welcoming the bride into the groom's home, the bridegroom's lanterns will be hung at the ancestral shrine as a symbol of prosperous offspring to come.
The Ministry of Culture has registered Dong's lantern-making skills as a cultural asset. Culture Minister Hung Meng-chi (洪孟啟) mourned Dong's death and instructed the Bureau of Cultural Heritage to preserve, organize, and present related techniques and traditions to the public.
Director Shy Gwo-long (施國隆) of the Bureau of Cultural Heritage noted that the traditional Southern Fukienese wedding customs are preserved because of Dong, and that his contributions have helped to maintain the diversity of Taiwan's folk culture.
The Bureau of Cultural Heritage will collaborate with the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Kinmen County to introduce the bridegroom's lantern culture to the public, added Director Shy.
Read more about the late master lantern maker here.