Written heritage : plaques and couplets in Tin Hau Temples of Hong Kong

Abstract

Plaques and couplets are a common language for Chinese architecture, transcending different eras, geographies and social strata, from grand palaces and temples to humble village food stalls or pavilions. In 2006, couplets in Jiangjin, Chongqing (重慶江津) is inscribed as a Chinese national intangible cultural heritage. Yet the author observed that the tradition remains undervalued. In books and articles on decorative features of traditional Chinese buildings, most of them are devoted to visual elements such as murals, wood and stone carvings. Plaques and couplets are often introduced in the last chapter of the book. There are more research studying the aesthetic – both literally and visually of plaques and couplets, but literary scholars also are dismayed at the fact that couplets writing is not recognised as a proper form of literature and is excluded from the mainstream curriculum. In Hong Kong, the author observed a lack of understanding to their importance. Plaques and couplets are sometimes covered up or improper light set up make them hardly visible. A temple abbot, with the best of intention, told the author that it is useless to study couplets because steles are more useful in explaining the history of the temple. Plaques and couplets, with all their heritage values, are meant to be read and be seen. If this misconception perpetuates, over time, plaques and couplets will fade into illegible pieces of wood or stone, and the tradition would then die out. This dissertation focuses on the plaques and couplets found in major Tin Hau Temples in Hong Kong, to understand their values in order to maintain its authenticity. The rationale of the dissertation is to research on these plaques and couplets, from the perspective of a heritage conservator in preserving the authenticity of the temples. The research presented in this dissertation is built upon the author’s professional background as a historian, and the presentation begins with a survey of the plaques and couplets found in case-study Tin Hau Temples and ends with an inventory of plaques and couplets and an analysis of their historical significance to illustrate their historical origins.