Shilin Shen Nong Temple Introduction
Today, the architecture of Shilin Shen Nong Temple follows a layout of two courtyards and five openings. The left and right side rooms of the San Chuan Hall are topped with bell and drum towers. The main hall of the temple is two stories high, with the central deity, the God of Agriculture (Shen Nong Da Di), enshrined on the second floor, while the Earth God (Fu De Zheng Shen) is worshipped in the center of the first floor. In addition to the three doors of the San Chuan Hall, there is one door at the front of each side room. Since the God of Agriculture is a deity of imperial status, the temple facade can have more than five doors, showcasing the deity's esteemed position. During ancient Chinese imperial times, the court regulated that the architectural form of temples must align with the status of the deity being worshipped. Originally named "Zhi Lan Temple," Shilin Shen Nong Temple was a temple dedicated to the Earth God (Fu De Zheng Shen). However, during the Qianlong period, residents of Shilin, when renovating the temple for the Earth God, adopted the swallow-tailed roof style, which could only be used by deities of imperial rank, thus underscoring the significant status of the Earth God in the hearts of settlers, while also making the temple overly ornate and non-compliant with regulations. To avoid demolition penalties for non-compliance, the local residents then included the imperially-ranked God of Agriculture as the main deity, reflecting a compromise and combination of Han Chinese temple customs, familial rites, and local beliefs. Shilin Shen Nong Temple has undergone multiple renovations but still retains many old elements, such as the dragon-carved stone columns in front of the San Chuan Hall, stone beams, and carved windows within the temple, alongside incense burners from the Qing Dynasty's Qianlong period and statues of the God of Agriculture and Earth God from the Xianfeng period. The columns on both sides of the main hall are embedded with stone pillars from the Japanese colonial period, and the design of the main hall walls retains features from that period, made with special stones from Guanyin Mountain that are characteristic of the era and hard to replicate today. The temple also stores multiple stone tablets documenting the temple's repairs and donation lists, as well as a respectful letter kiosk used for burning paper offerings, witnessing the development of the Shilin area and its historical importance in cultural flourishing. Many statues of the God of Agriculture are enshrined inside Shilin Shen Nong Temple. The representations of the God of Agriculture generally take two forms: one is the appearance of a primitive man, bare-bodied and barefoot, adorned with leaves around the shoulders and waist, holding golden ears of rice to symbolize agricultural invention and the transition from primitivism to civilization; the other wears royal robes and a crown, symbolizing the esteemed status of Huang Xia civilization and its ancestral heritage. The God of Agriculture worshipped at Shilin Shen Nong Temple is depicted as a primitive man, with two facial colors: red and black. The red face symbolizes the rosy complexion that Shen Nong had after discovering agriculture and consuming grains, while the black face represents the color change from consuming poisonous herbs, commemorating Shen Nong's sacrifice in seeking medicinal herbs for people. Additionally, Shilin Shen Nong Temple features many high-temperature glazed pottery works, crafted by Chen Zhuan You (1911-), a disciple of Hong Kun Fu, and one of the standout figures among the "Five Tiger Generals" in mid-20th century Taiwanese temple architecture decoration techniques. The decorative pottery in Taiwanese temples often uses themes from traditional drama, with each story depicted on a section of wall referred to as a "Zhu Toutou." Inside the San Chuan Hall of Shen Nong Temple, there are six sections of decorative pottery, and together with the "Shui Che Du" near the eaves of the front hall and the "Dui Kan Du" on opposite sides of the walls, there are a total of twelve sections, each containing more than seven characters, resulting in a considerable total of figures. The poses of these characters are detailed and compelling, preserving a wealth of traditional decorative craftsmanship.
