Nankunshen Temple

 

Main Door Couplet

The Yu-Chi Stele

Statues of the Five Lords

Inspection Orders of the Five Lords

Stone Censer of the Five Lords

The Kaishan Tablet

Wood Carved Couplets, Ching Shan Temple

The‘Spirits Watch Over the Eastern Seas’Marquee Board

The‘Light Embraces All Four Directions’ Marquee

The ‘Spider Making its Web’ Pavilion

Octagonal Dragon Pillars

‘Pray for Joy and Happiness’

Scenes of Bamboo by Cheng Hsieh

Twin Dragons Gaze Upon the‘Three Stars’– Cut Tile Mosaic

‘Abandoned Lions’ Cut Tile Mosaic

Traditional ‘Palanquin-Style’ Roof Eaves

The Money Wall

Painted Door Gods

Long Hou (Dragon Throat) Well

Bronze Drums

 

 

Bronze Drums

Bronze Drums


Bronze drums such as these are an ancient Chinese musical instrument used in both temple and folk ceremonies, both on their own or in the company of other instruments. Records tell of the introduction of bronze drums into China from the border kingdom of Jingchu. They caught on and were part of palace orchestras as early as China’s Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BC).

In ‘Records of the Historian’, author Sima Qian depicts King Zhuang of Chu ‘sitting between bell-drums, embracing mistress Zheng on his left and a girl from Yue on his right.’ In his epic ‘Sir Vacuous’, Sima Xiangru (179 – 117 BC) wrote, “The King of Chu has metal drums struck and flutes played to signal the start of song and merriment.” Such references attest to the long history of the drum in the pantheon of Chinese musical instruments.

After their introduction in the north, metal drums gradually made their way into southern China, where they compared well with traditional drums with leather coverings that decayed easily in southern humidity. By the time bronze drums were known throughout the south, they had also been widely adopted as a strategic tool - used to rally troops, strike fear into the hearts of enemy forces and transmit military communications. Nankunshen’s bronze drum has a head diameter of 60cm and measures 46 cm in height. The drum has a leather covering and is rumored to have arrived in Taiwan with the Five Lords on their boat.


History | Worship | Monument | Lanscape | Activities