image

Organized by Christina Lee

Traditional Building Maintenance

 

Introduction

Taiwanese historian Lin Heng-Dao once said: “Every plant and tree in Taiwan is a historic site.” Indeed, these historic sites are worth cherishing and protecting. As the most authoritative ancient architecture researcher in Taiwan, Professor Li Chien-Lang has contributed a lot to the study of historic sites. What is more, his enthusiasm for maintaining traditional buildings began to sprout even before the government gave importance to historic sites.

The Journey of Preserving Historic Sites ─ Professor Li Chien-Lang
1960s
◆ Enthusiasm ignited
 
  • Li Chien-Lang, who was in junior high school, went to Banqiao City to visit the deserted Lin Family Garden. It was then that he realized that the historic site had been deserted and not properly preserved. The seeds of his desire to maintain the historic sites were planted in the heart of Professor Li back then.
1970s
◆ Awareness of historic site preservation slowly emerged in Taiwan, but the spread of awareness was suppressed by economic development
1971s
◆ Silent devotion
 
  • Li Chien-Lang carried out field research at his own expense and recorded Tamsui Town with photography. He silently contributed to the recording of traditional towns in Taiwan.

 

1-3-1

Temple Sketch (1974)
Source: Professor Li Chien-Lang

1-3-2

Renovation of the Lin Family Mansion and Garden (1978)
Source: Professor Li Chien-Lang

1-3-3

Ancient City Fieldwork in Hengchun (1978)
Source: Professor Li Chien-Lang

1-3-4

Lecture: Landscape Change at Tamsui
Source: Detective of Historic sites

　

1981s
◆ Commissioner of the Historical Site Review Committee of the Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA)
 
  • The establishment of the CCA in 1981 and the promulgation and implementation of the “Cultural Heritage Preservation Act” in 1982 are of great significance to the maintenance of traditional buildings and historic sites in Taiwan.
  • During this period Li Chien-Lang was invited to serve as a committee member of the CCA for the Review of Historic Sites. Professor Li’s participation and hard work in research projects and conferences regarding historical sites were indispensable.
  1-3-5
  Source: Ministry of Culture ▲
1994s
◆ Promoting new thinking
 
  • Li Chien-Lang is also an advocate of the CCA’s efforts to save Taiwan’s traditional buildings in the direction of “building a community as a whole” instead of the official system of maintaining traditional monuments.
  • The overall community building initiative has five main goals:
    • “People”: satisfaction of the needs of community residents, management of interpersonal relationships, and creation of well-being of life
    • “Culture”: the continuation of the community’s common history and culture, the management of arts and cultural activities, and lifelong learning
    • “Land”: the conservation of the geographical environment and the development of its characteristics, and the continuation of the locality
    • “Production”: collective management of the real estate industry and economic activities, development, and marketing of real estate, etc.
    • “Scenery”: the creation of "community public space", the sustainable management of the living environment, the creation of unique landscapes, and the self-construction of residents, etc.

Conclusion

Professor Li Chien-Lang once said that “ancient buildings are a bridge for modern people to communicate with the past, and they can show the traces of people’s lives in the past.” Innovation does not mean fighting against everything built in the past. What the government and the people must do together is to integrate the buildings of the past and the present to maintain the beauty of Taiwan’s culture.

  1. https://www.tph.moj.gov.tw/4421/4663/4669/806379/post
  2. http://www.bp.ntu.edu.tw/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/09-1.-臺灣的古蹟保存：一個批判性回顧-夏鑄九.pdf
  3. https://tlife.thsrc.com.tw/tw/article/1217
  4. https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/社區總體營造
  5. https://tamsuilf2014.weebly.com/26368260322804024687/11