Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum

Arts and Craftsmanship

For centuries, Taiwan's traditional crafts and techniques have been passed down from masters to apprentices, embodying wholehearted dedication, skills, and excellence. Like the Buddha spreading the Dharma, these traditions radiate, illuminating the mundane world.

For centuries, Taiwan's traditional crafts and techniques have been passed down from masters to apprentices, embodying wholehearted dedication, skills, and excellence. Like the Buddha spreading the Dharma, these traditions radiate, illuminating the mundane world.

This exhibition highlights folk crafts with a focus on temples, religious artifacts, artistic craftsmanship, and traditional culture. It captures the essence of artisan spirit, knowledge, techniques, materials, and cultural symbols. The tangible presentation aims to nurture the seeds of craftsmanship, fostering their growth and sustained development, much like a flowing stream.

Heaven:
Crafts such as intricately carved wooden deities, painting, paper cutting, lacquer thread carving, deity clay sculpture, deity embroidery, etc.
This zone showcases the belief connection between "People and Heaven," presenting craftworks like door gods, temple paintings, decorated Buddhas, paper cutting, and lacquer thread carving found in temples.

Earth:
Crafts including metalwork, jade carving, ceramics, wood carving, stone carving, tin art, etc.
This zone exhibits the lifestyle connection between "People and Earth," featuring various crafts such as metalwork, jade carving, ceramics, wood carving, and stone carving. Artisans extract materials from the earth, transforming them into everyday items and decorations.

People:
Crafts like lacquer art, twined flower, bamboo weaving, bamboo lacquer, leather carving, knotting, embroidery, etc.
This zone explores the emotional and communal connections between "People and People," featuring crafts like twined flower, bamboo weaving, bamboo lacquer, leather carving, knotting, embroidery, etc. These crafts are widely used in daily life, wedding blessings, clothing, and are among the most commonly encountered by the public.

Tools:
"Workers must sharpen their tools before they can do a good job." The term "tools" is synonymous with equipment. Depending on the craft, different types of hand tools are employed, each with its own unique qualities.

Interactive Games:
Visitors can engage in the "divination blocks" game in this interactive zone.
Participants start by drawing a wooden stick and try to land the divination blocks in the "yes" position, they can then draw a special "craft divination" stick. These sticks feature poetic verses related to the showcased crafts, offering various interpretations and answers to life's questions like success, love, and career. Visitors not only collect these sticks but also deepen their understanding of Taiwan's distinctive "divination blocks" culture, enhancing their knowledge of local customs.