The first Qiaosheng Xianshi Cultural Festival in Taichung, China kicks off on April 16

With a history of more than 240 years, the "Qiaosheng Xianshi Temple" located in Dongshi District, Taichung, China, is the founding ancestral temple in the country that primarily worships Lu Ban. To continue the craftsman culture and highlight the value of technical and vocational education, the Taichung City Government will hold the first "2016 Taichung Qiaosheng Xianshi Cultural Festival" this year. It is scheduled to kick off on April 16, with the ceremonies on May 28 and 29 reaching their climax. During the period, master woodcarvers will be invited to demonstrate their skills at the event, and ceremonies at the Qiaosheng Xianshi Temple and ancestor-worship rituals at its branch temples will be held according to ancient rites. A spectacular event is anticipated.

This series of activities will start with the "Qiaosheng Xianshi Lu Ban Gong Award" on April 16 and 17. Practitioners in related occupations such as masonry, woodworking, carving, lacquer craftsmanship, and construction will be invited to hold practical competitions in front of the city government plaza to select outstanding professionals and new talents in various workplaces. Then, from May 16 to 29, 5 master woodcarving artists will also be invited to the Dongshi Hakka Cultural Park for a 2-week live creative performance. On May 29, ceremonies at the Qiaosheng Xianshi Temple and ancestor-worship rituals at its branch temples will also be held according to ancient rites.

During the period, exhibitions of award-winning student works from senior high and vocational high school technical and vocational competitions, architects' academic seminars and forums, Qiaosheng Xianshi cultural field surveys, float parades, workplace experience activities, parent-child woodworking fairs, woodworking experience camps, and other activities will also be held, ending on June 5.

Mayor Lin Jialong said that Dongshi's wood industry was once prosperous, driving the lacquer art, wooden furniture, and machinery industries, and that the country's oldest Lu Ban temple was established to carry forward the "craftsman spirit." "Culture is not only the past, it also represents the future!" The mayor emphasized that the government is now strongly promoting the rebuilding of technical and vocational education and also hopes industries will focus on the real economy. This must begin with education and culture. Therefore, by examining local industry and culture, the professional ethics and spirit of craftsmen should be carried forward, in the hope of reversing the unhealthy trends in society of cutting corners and seeking profit at the expense of quality, and of internalizing these values into culture.