Shilin Shen Nong Temple Introduction
Today, the architecture of Shilin Shrine has a layout consisting of two sections and five openings. Above the left and right auxiliary rooms on either side of the San Chuan Hall, there are bell and drum towers. The main hall of the shrine is two stories high, with the deity Shennong Dadi enshrined at the center of the second floor, while the Fude Zhengshen is worshipped in the center of the first floor. In addition to the three gates of the San Chuan Hall at the front of the shrine, each auxiliary room also has one gate, allowing for the opening of more than five gates to showcase the esteemed status of Shennong Dadi, an emperor-level deity. During ancient China’s imperial era, the court regulated that the architectural style of temples must match the rank of the deities worshipped. The Shilin Shrine was originally known as "Zhi Lan Temple," dedicated to the Fude Zhengshen, the Earth God. However, when the residents of Shilin renovated the temple during the Qianlong period, they employed a tail-style roofing design permitted only for deities of imperial rank, highlighting the important position of the Earth God in the hearts of settlers, while making the temple overly ornate and thus non-compliant with regulations. To avoid penalties for the temple's non-compliance and the risk of demolition, local residents began to worship Shennong Dadi, a deity of imperial status, as the main god. This transition illustrates the compromise and integration between Han Chinese temple customs, ancestral rites, and the beliefs of the local population. The Shilin Shrine has undergone numerous renovations but still retains many old artifacts, such as the stone-carved dragon columns in front of the San Chuan Hall, the stone beams and carved windows in the temple, and offerings from the Qing dynasty like the longevity and fortune position from the Qianlong period and the incense burner from the Xianfeng period, along with stone carvings of Shennong Dadi and Fude Zhengshen. The columns on both sides of the main hall have stone pillars from the Japanese colonial period embedded, and the main hall maintains the design of the walls from that era, with the stone from Guanyin Mountain showcasing the characteristics of the period that are difficult to replicate today. The temple preserves several stone tablets recording the history of maintenance and donation lists, as well as a Ziding Pavilion used by people to burn joss paper, witnessing the development of the Shilin area and the rich history of its literary culture during earlier times. The shrine houses multiple statues of Shennong Dadi, which generally come in two forms: one depicts him as a naked, barefoot primitive man wearing only leaves on his shoulders and waist, holding golden rice ears, symbolizing the invention of agriculture and the transition from primitive to civilization; the other is an image adorned in emperor's robes and crown, representing the exalted status of Huaxia civilization and the ancestral origins of the nation. The Shennong Dadi worshipped at Shilin Shrine is depicted in the primitive form, featuring red and black faces. The red face represents Shennong’s rosy complexion after discovering the five grains, while the black face symbolizes his sacrifice for humanity in searching for medicinal herbs after consuming poisonous plants. Additionally, Shilin Shrine hosts many examples of glazed ceramic artworks made with high-temperature techniques, created by Chen Zhuan-you, a disciple of Hong Kun-fu, who was one of the leading decorators in the temple architecture scene of mid-20th century Taiwan, known as one of the "Five Tiger Generals." The glazed ceramics decorating Taiwanese temples often draw on themes from traditional theater, with each thematic story depicted on a single wall referred to as a "zhu tou." Within the horizontal beams of the San Chuan Hall, there are six glazed ceramic zhu tou, along with a "waterwheel zhu" near the eaves on the main hall wall and "dui kan zhu" on the opposing side walls, totaling twelve zhu tou; each containing over seven ceramic figures, adding up to a considerable number of finely posed characters that preserve a rich collection of traditional decorative craftsmanship.
