As museums and artists worldwide are busy finding new solutions for showcasing the arts in response to the coronavirus lockdown, an online exhibition on the delicate and sublime legacy of Taiwan's temples will run from April 13 to May 12. Through 27 episodes revisiting unconventional temple photos taken by French scholar Pierre Charau (夏侯巖), the exhibition invites monument lovers to take virtual tours of this particular slice of Taiwanese heritage.
Organized by the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris, the online exhibition not only offers a personal tour of Taiwan's temples that are mostly guarded by mythical creatures, but also highlights the centuries-old religious faiths, folk beliefs, and traditional rites that speak of cross-generational hopes for health, peace, and prosperity.
Fascinated by Taiwanese culture, Charau, former secretary of Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques, sees Taiwan as his second home. Charau travels to Taiwan almost every year for business and pleasure, and his comprehensive knowledge of Taiwanese history and customs has long made him a renowned Taiwan expert.
In addition, Charau's long-term efforts in making Taiwan's culture more visible on the global arts scene and fostering Taiwan-France relations have not gone unnoticed. He received the "Medal of Culture (文化獎)" from Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun at the Taipei Representative Office in France on Feb. 3, 2020.
Culture lovers can also look forward to more online showcases, as most physical events organized by the Ministry's overseas offices have been postponed or temporarily suspended in compliance with the instructions issued by their respective host countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Staff members of several overseas offices and centers supervised by the Ministry are also currently working remotely from home as a precautionary measure to flatten the curve.