"Pillar dragons" of bronze and stone

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The cast bronze dragons crawling up and down the pillars at Lungshan Temple are works of art that took three years to make. Most of the dragons on temple pillars in Taiwan are carved from wood or stone. The only two of bronze left in all of Taiwan are right here at Lungshan Temple!　

The dragons are coiled and ready to spring, their powerful yet supple bodies radiating a baroque feeling of dynamism and movement. Each pillar is carved with depictions of 16 legendary characters from classical Chinese novels, and each is crafted uniquely.

Back when Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule, the Japanese had wanted to melt the bronze down to make cannon, but on the day the workers were set to begin the task, everyone came down with violent stomach pains. The dragons escaped unharmed. If someone were to tell you it was deities of the temple who had interceded to protect the dragons, would you believe them?

In addition to the bronze dragons, there is a pair of tall stone columns at the rear of the front hall with coiled dragons carved into the stone. The unusual thing about these columns is that they finish at the top with Greek-style capitals, a reflection of the impact of Western culture upon China in the latter half of the 19th century. The temple throws a little bit of everything at you, including art, traditions, and history…

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