The protector of hard-up deities

Guanyin Township in Taoyuan County is home to carver Lin Xin-lai (林新來). On graduation from junior high school, Mr. Lin, who is physically disabled, began studying the art of deity carving under the accomplished carver Huang Hong-zhen (黃弘珍). He discovered he had a natural talent for carving and quickly mastered the carving repertoire of teacher Huang.

Ten years later he opened his own carving shop named ‘Taiwan Carving Shop (寶島雕刻店)’, but a flood of cheap foreign imported deity statues caused a gradual decline in business. However, it was through this downturn in business that he stumbled upon the niche market of restoring discarded and damaged deity statues.

Having no interest in praying to the deities anymore, many people discard these ‘hard up’ deities in the mountains and along riverbanks. But in the eyes of Mr. Lin, each and every deity statue has its own unique story and culture, and to date he has collected over 8000. This may be the reason that nowadays Mr. Lin is commonly known as ‘The Protector of Hard-up Deities.’

The protector of hard-up deities
URL:https://www.peopo.org/news/216689

(以下是中文對照)

落難神像的守護者

在桃園縣觀音就有一位雕刻師傅林新來，他的腳部行動不便，國中畢業後便跟著桃園黃弘珍大師學習神像雕刻藝術，天資聰穎的他很快的學會師傅的全部手藝，十年後便自立門戶開設「寶島雕刻店」。後來受到進口神像的衝擊，雕刻神像的工作漸漸式微，但也讓他有機會接觸修復及收留落難神像的工作。落難神像就是被民眾丟棄在山邊河邊，沒有人要膜拜的神明。但是對林新來而言，每一尊神像有祂的故事、祂的文化，至今已收集了超過八千尊以上的神像，所以有 「落難神像的守護神」的外號。