Old-style wall 

(6MB)

On the left side of the rear hall there is a small passageway. The wall there is very old, and not made the way we make our walls today. The wall is made by alternating between thick blocks and thin bricks. The blocks are made of a mixture of brown sugar and glutinous rice, while the bricks are made of fired clay. This type of wall features a very pleasing color pattern, and it is also very strong, which is why it has survived for so long.

It is a shame that in modern society we only believe in modern technology. We are only impressed by skyscrapers made of steel-reinforced concrete. We only care about how to make as much money as possible. The fact is, our ancestors did a lot of things quite well, and it's unfortunate that we've ditched everything in favor of new methods. Doesn’t it seem ironic that when the big earthquake hit in September 1999, the only buildings to fall in Taipei were ferroconcrete structures just a few years old, while Lungshan Temple stood just as solid as ever? If we were still making effective use of these old building techniques today, and if today's builders cared enough about quality not to skimp on materials and workmanship, maybe the earthquake wouldn't have destroyed quite so many buildings.