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Research on visual expression of folk believe in Taiwan
Concentrated on oranment and clothes of Taoist priest
Student:Teng Shi-Hau Advisor:Thzeng Chi-Shiung
Institute of Visual Communication Design
National Yunlin University of Science and Technology
ABSTRACT
Among folk’s religious believes, perhaps Taoism is the most influential to the daily life activities of people of Taiwan. There are very close relationships between the ritual services performed by Taoism priests and folk believes. A Taoist priest wears specific clothing to visually identify himself of an important status. Furthermore, pictures and figures appear in the clothing express Taoism religious meaning and believes. This study has been planned into three stages; namely, information and reference literature collection , editing and compiling; interview the master of seamstress who sewing Taoism priest clothing as well as priests themselves; and the third stage is to analyze and study pictures and diagrams appeared in on clothing. The frame of the study is confined to the Cheng-I faction of Taiwan Taoism only.From the clothes making process and masters of seamstress performance methods as well as of Priests of Chen-I faction the forms and colors visual expressions as major subjects of the study. After compiling , ancient Taoism priest clothing were sorted into two categories of common wears and ritual wears. Common wears are for daily living while ritual wears are worn when conducting ritual ceremony or occasions such as appointment or commissioning duties. Ritual wears including : head wears crown upper half body wears coarse clothe ho , put on over coat peih on the top of ho. While lower half body wears skirt, feet wear lyuu, hands hold a piece of jiaan. Cheng-I faction priests ritual wear is called jiahngyi with jiahng and ho colored. Yellow skirt, wear pei with chian colore. After interviewed with master seamstress, it was found that there were many variety of ritual wears of Chen-I faction priest; such as haiching, Taoist preistis robe ,jiahngyi, dragon-tiger cloth , net scarf, golden crown, yang, five pieces Emperior Hat, imperial shoes, imperial pearl, and a small piece of report panel. Colors employed in haaiching are black and yellow while colors adopted by Taoist preistis robe are red ground with black hem, red ground with green hem, orange ground with blue hem, orange ground with green hem, yellow ground with blue hem, and yellow ground with red hem. Pictures and diagrams sewn on Taoist preistis robe are Dragon, baguah, carps, crane, phoenix, kilin, and Taichi., while pictures and diagrams sewn on chiangyi are Dragon, the eight Taoist Immortal, tower, flame, sanching, kilin, carps, baguah, gold cock, and jade rabbit. Taism priest clothing of Cheng-I faction inherited the ancient Taoism clothing system which classified position of priest as well as the nature of ritual service they are performing by shape and color of clothing. As hierarchic arrangement from low to high position by colors are found to be in order of red, orange, yellow, Some priests, however, do not follow the rules wear robes according to his class, perhaps because of supply shortage or else, and some other factions wear yellow robes only which is equivalent of master priest in Cheng-I faction. Pictures and diagrams on priest robs may have some connections with the origin of the Taoism’s multiple gods worship.
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