The Rhythm of Dance Steps~The Hallmark of Blessings~The Shenjiang Culture of Luzhou

Position Change

• The development of the folk temples and major gods of temples has deeply affected the Luzhou Shenjiang culture. The temples host many festivals for making people and gods joyful every year. Even though the life in the years of the Japanese occupancy and economic depression was tough, the common recognition of the community preserved the Shenjiang culture. There are many Shenjiang statues in Luzhou. Up to year 2012, there were about 200 Shenjiang statues. However, Luzhou does not have factories that can produce complete Shenjiang statues. The factories in Luzhou make Shenjiang heads, but the frames, helmets, and clothing are not produced in Luzhou. According to Master Lin, all the clothing and accessories of the statues need to be ordered from Jiayi.
  So far, in Luzhou, we have only found the Zhenshan Xuan and the Sanqing Xuan that make Shenjiang heads. Both factories have produced many, but the Zhenshan Xuan is more productive. The production of the Shenjiang heads became the most important traditional art in Luzhou; the competition among the temples and the local folk groups was the main cause. The competition gradually led to the public’s awareness of Shenjiang. Besides, the Luzhou District Office started to care the Shenjiang culture in recent years. They added the promotion and performance of Shenjiang troupe to the Luzhou Carnival to introduce the beauty of the Luzhou Shenjiang culture. With the efforts of the local organizations and the government, the Luzhou Shenjiang culture has started booming in Taiwan areas and becoming the key feature of Luzhou. We hope the residents in Luzhou will cherish this unique culture and pass it on to the next generations.
  
  

• Perspectives: Shun-wei Huang: The Shenjiang culture should be preserved since it is special and unique. Luzhou Shenjiang culture in Taiwan is an important cultural treasure that needs to be preserved. With the changing times, Shenjiang culture was ignored for a period of time, but after the continuous promotion and renewing of local people, it has gradually begun to win respect from people again. I hope Shenjiang culture will continue.

  Kuan-ting Ho: Because of the silent support from local people and temples, Luzhou won the name of Shenjiang, allowing our Shenjiang culture to be passed on. In fact, after four interviews, we discovered that the Shenjiang statues are different in the north, middle and south of Taiwan. For example, in middle Taiwan, worshipping Shenjiang statues is different from the way they are worshipped in northern Taiwan. The position of Shenjiang gradually moves from local group activity into government-promoted local culture. With this change, we know that the Shenjiang culture has started to be recognized by Luzhou people. I hope Luzhou Shenjiang culture will continue to bloom in the future.

  Po-hung Wang: With the changes of time, the position of Shenjiang has changed. People used to respect gods so much that they followed tradition. Today, people treat Shenjiang as big dolls that are used to imitate gods. The Electronic Music Third Prince is an existing example. People in southern Taiwan install LED lights onto a small Third Prince Shenjiang statue for dancing. Since the small Third Prince is also a Shenjiang statue, I don’t think it is proper. However, if we look at it from different angles, is maintaining the dignity more important than carrying on Shenjiang culture? We need to carefully think about this.

  Ming-hsien Hsu: People pay attention to Shenjiang statues in patrol tours, since they have created a center of belief for people, giving people spiritual support. Today, only old people respect Shenjiang statues, and young people treat Shenjiang statues as big dolls in a parade. The statues only bring excitement to people in the patrol tours. If we don’t introduce the significance of Shenjiang culture, people might forget the meaning of patrol tours and the history behind Shenjiang statues.

  Yuan-ting Tseng: Through some people’s insistence, Luzhou Shenjiang culture could be carried on. They have to constantly practice the skills in order to carve the Shenjiang statues shown on the patrol tours. Today, young people gradually forget the meaning of Shenjiang culture to Luzhou, and do not respect Shenjiang statues anymore. This makes the Shenjiang culture gradually die. I hope young people nowadays can learn to make Shenjiang statues, carry on this skill, and continue to use the skill to protect their hometown.

  Pin-yu Wu: Through the project, I understand the local culture more. Today, we can appreciate bright and beautiful Shenjiang statues dancing on the street during their patrol tour, but we should also appreciate the carving masters who work very hard to make these lively Shenjiang statues. Shenjiang statues were not respected in the past, but now everyone recognizes them. Besides for the improvement of Shenjiang performances becoming more diverse, we still need to support them to carry on this traditional culture. I hope we can still see Shenjiang statues in the future. Let’s develop this culture together.

  Yu-chi Hsu: The Shenjiang statue is a local traditional culture in Luzhou. Through the evolution, the position of Shenjiang in people’s thoughts has changed a lot. It doesn’t matter how much it changed; we should carry on this culture of our hometown. We should appreciate those people who contribute to preserve the old cultures. Without them, we cannot continue to see the local cultures. From now on, we should pay more attention to old culture and carry them on.