A spiritual pair : the symbolism, aesthetics and techniques of painted door gods in Hong Kong

Abstract

Throughout the ages, door god pairs have been used by Chinese communities traditionally to ward off bad spirits and invoke blessings to householders. Among the many forms of door gods, the painted form, where door gods are directly painted onto door plates, reveals the most vivid and lively characters of the guardians. Painted door gods appear on many traditional Chinese buildings in Hong Kong. Yet, many photographs of the traditional Chinese buildings are taken with the entrance doors opened and thus, the presence of the pair of painted door gods is hardly noticed. Also, the cultural knowledge and skills of depicting painted door gods are undervalued. The craft is only ambiguously implied under the item “Traditional Architecture Preservation Technique” of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong. Awareness towards this traditional craftsmanship is critically insufficient in Hong Kong. Therefore, this practice is in danger of being lost as in-depth knowledge of old master craftsmen disappears, and younger craftsmen do not follow into the trade. There is little research on door gods in Hong Kong, let alone those of the painted form. Generally, the cultural and aesthetic significance of painted door gods in Hong Kong is limited, whereas most research focuses on painted door gods in China or Taiwan. There is an urgent need to fill this gap. Additionally, it is recognized that not many craftsmen nor the public possess knowledge to comprehend and appreciate the cultural and aesthetic value of painted door gods. As a result, the skills of the craft are not being perpetuated and may soon disappear in the society. This dissertation concentrates on painted door gods in Hong Kong. Adopting the framework of the ICOMOS Principles for the Preservation and Conservation-Restoration of Wall Painting, this record will record the techniques of creating painted door gods and suggests aesthetic guidelines for appreciating painted door gods based on the Six Principles in Chinese Painting, local masters’ experience and literature, as well as ways to sustain and perpetuate this practice. The research includes interviews with local and Mainland painted door god masters and case studies in Hong Kong to reveal the beauty and value of this unique craft.