The Ministry of Culture (MOC) recently honored craftsmen Hsu Ming-he (徐明河), Lee Ching-hai (李清海), and Su Ching-liang (蘇清良) as the preserver of important traditional craftsmanship. Up to December 2022, 16 preservers in 10 different categories were verified as the "National Living Treasure."
Hsu, preserver of the "Jiannian (trencadís)" and clay sculpture technique from Taoyuan City, inherited the technique from master Yao Chih-lai (姚自來). Skilled in Jiannian and Koji Pottery, Hsu breathes life into the ceramic figures he made. With his mastery of Jiannian, Hsu is capable of restoring temples independently.
The technique of stucco and plasterwork is a newly registered category. From Kinmen County, Lee Ching-hai is the successor of a master from Tong’an District, Fujian Province, China. Well-versed in stucco and plasterwork, Lee followed the traditional way of making mortar, and is also equipped with masonry skills. Lee contributed to the preservation of traditional architecture in Kinmen.
As the first Kaohsiung City resident to be certified as a "National Living Treasure" with cultural heritage preservation techniques, Su Ching-liang, an almost 90-year-old stucco craftsman, was born in Hunei district of Kaohsiung City in 1935. Su started to learn to build traditional residential houses with techniques of stucco and plasterwork as an apprentice at the age of 16. Early in his career which spanned nearly 70 years, he focused on the construction of traditional dwellings, temples, and modern residences. In 1998, Su joined the restoration project of Taihoku City Public Auditorium (now Zhongshan Hall) and started his 20-year-long journey of restoring cultural assets.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government pointed out Su is one of the few craftsmen that excel in constructing both traditional Chinese architecture and western buildings. He has participated in over 30 cultural asset restoration projects throughout Taiwan including national monuments Railway Department of the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan (台灣總督府交通局鐵道部), Hsinchu Prefecture Hall (新竹州廳), Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden (霧峰林家), Hengchun Old City Walls (恆春古城), and the city monument Fongyi Academy (鳳儀書院). According to Su, the restoration of the Railway Department is the most challenging but most rewarding among the projects that he has participated in.
Su gradually became an instructor in order to promote and preserve the stucco technique. In 2021, at the age of 86, Su opened courses to pass down the technique in plastering walls and tile roofing, and then completed the restoration of Chung Sheng Shrine in Taipei Confucius Temple with the trainees.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government said the recognition from the MOC as a "National Living Treasure" best complements Su's lifelong career in utilizing stucco and plaster techniques to create architectural works and preserving Taiwan’s valuable cultural heritage.