1. The Huang Guei-Li Memorial Hall is located on the ground floor of the New Taipei City Art Center and is a permanent exhibition that features works of Huang Guei-Li, the senior sculptor of New Taipei City. The exhibits include wood sculptures, woodcarving tools, reference books, and many of his awards. His notable works of sculpture are still seen at numerous famous temples, some of which include the "Meng-Jia Long-Shan Temple," the "Taipei Guan-Du Temple," the "Sanxian Qing-Shui Zushi Temple," and the "Tamsui Zushi Temple." To honor his dedication and passion, Huang Guei-Li is one of the first artists to be recognized as a "Significant National Folk Arts Artist".
2. Introduction of Huang Guei-Li
Huang Guei-Li (1902-1995), birth name originally Huang Hong-Ying, was raised in an agricultural family in Shulin, New Taipei City. When he was 9 years old, his family moved to Zhonghe Yuanshan, New Taipei City, due to 1911 Dahan Creek flood. Three years later, he was enrolled in scholar Ho’s private school. At the age of 14, he witnessed a sculptor carving a piece of wood sculpture during the construction of a temple in Banqiao and he was truly inspired. At the age of 15, he became an apprentice of Master Chen Ying-Bin and learned various carving skills from him. These moments sparked Hu’s passion in wood sculpting and it eventually lead him to become a grandmaster in wood sculptures. He later began carving wood sculptures in temples, for the next 70 years Huang continued to do what he does best, and is now considered as one of the most important national sculptors in Taiwanese history.
3. Considerable temple sculptures all over the country are designed and carved by Huang Guei-Li, such as sculptures in the "Meng-Jia Long-Shan Temple," the "Taipei Guan-Du Temple," the "Sanxian Qing-Shui Zushi Temple," and the "Tamsui Zushi Temple". Huang Guei-Li is known as the grandmaster of folk sculpture as well as being the senior artist of wood sculpture in New Taipei City. Since 1964, Huang Gei-Li had been teaching the art of sculpting in the National Academy of Arts (now National Taiwan University of Arts) and other the years he had inspired and cultivated numerous talented wood sculptors. In 1985, Huang Guei-Li received the first “National Folk Arts Heritage Award” from the Ministry of Education and in the same year, he was awarded the first “Significant National Folk Art Artist”. Since 1990, Huang Guei-Li cooperated with the Ministry of Education for three years in hopes to pass on the skills of traditional wood sculpting to the next generation.
4. The Huang Guei-Li Memorial Hall was established in 2001, having acquired permission from sons Huang Cing Yang and Huang Cing Wun, Master Huang’s precious works and historical materials are permanently displayed in this hall. The collections are systematically organized, preserved, researched, and exhibited so the traditional skills of wood sculpture can be best appreciated and safeguarded as a cultural heritage for the future generations to come.
