走過絲路，飄洋過海到台灣

記2013-2015年的台灣八景創作之旅

文／劉素玉

人生的際遇真是奇妙，有誰能預料，2012年六位藝友同行的一趟絲路創作之旅，翌年四月於台北高士畫廊展覽之後，並沒有隨著展覽結束而劃下句點。由於展覽及出版畫冊的成功，吸引了新的贊助者──巫永堅先生，透過林磐聳介紹，誠懇的循著絲路之旅贊助者許宗煒先生的足跡，請我策劃另一趟旅行創作計劃：台灣八景。

走過絲路，敦煌佛窟裡的莊嚴神聖佛像令我大開眼界，滋長了我的藝術素養，而佛窟裡刻記著無以數計的供養人名字也令我難以忘懷，由於他們的虔誠供養，造就了萬古流芳的敦煌藝術，許先生與巫先生如同敦煌佛窟的供養人，我們欣然接受這樣一個富有意義的創作之旅。只是，這趟台灣八景創作之旅卻走得十分散漫，從2013年起，斷斷續續，直到2015年終於完成任務，對於贊助者巫先生總算沒有繳白卷。

 

台灣人美，還是景美？

「台灣最美的風景是人」，這句話近來蔚為時尚，言者意指台灣人素質高、人情味濃，但是否也意味著台灣風景不美呢？起碼不比人美？其實台灣的天然景觀變化多端，極富特色，較之人文景觀實不差矣。

十六世紀中葉，葡萄牙船員航海經過台灣海面時，從海上遠眺，發現島上崇山峻嶺，林木鬱鬱蒼蒼，不禁高呼：「Ilha Formosa」，意指「美麗之島」，葡萄牙人浪漫的讚嘆：Formosa（福爾摩莎），成為台灣引以為傲的代名詞。

孤懸在太平洋上的台灣島，面積不大不小，景觀、生態千變萬化，氣候氣象萬千，因而風情萬種，嬌媚迷人。台灣高山遍佈，3000公尺以上的高峰超過260座，台灣最高峰－玉山－海拔3952公尺，是東北亞最高峰，也使台灣島成為世界地勢高度第四高的島嶼；全島山巒綿亙起伏，地形錯綜複雜，造成氣候因子詭譎多變，地形與氣候交互影響之故，形成熱帶、亞熱帶、溫帶、寒帶等氣候區，孕育豐富的物種，呈現生態環境多樣性的特質，種類繁多與珍貴稀有程度舉世聞名。

台灣四周環海，海岸線長，各地海岸景觀不盡相同，造就台灣取之不盡的美景資源，1694年（清康熙33年）高拱乾主編的《台灣府志》首度提及台灣八景，除了「雞籠積雪」之外，其他七景都與海景有關：安平晚渡、沙鯤漁火、鹿耳春潮、東溟曉日、西嶼落霞、斐亭聽濤、澄台觀海。足見台灣人對海景的鍾愛其來有自，當時台灣開發不多，取景受到諸多限制，往後歷經歲月變遷、建設擴大、政權更迭，台灣八景內容物換星移，但台灣人對海景始終一往情深。

1927年《台灣日日新報》透過民眾票選出的八景¹，出現了高山、縱谷：阿里山、八卦山、壽山、八仙山、太魯閣峽谷，而海岸美景依然擄獲人心：淡水、鵝鸞鼻。美景自然有山、有水，海岸之外，幽靜清澈的潭水也別有風情，日月潭首度躍上了八景名單，歷久彌新。

1953年，台灣省政府制定的台灣八景為雙潭秋月、玉山積雪、安平夕照、阿里雲海、大屯春色、魯谷幽峽、清水斷崖、澎湖漁火；2005年交通部觀光局透過票選的台灣八景為台北101、台北故宮、日月潭、阿里山、玉山、高雄愛河、墾丁、太魯閣峽谷。

隨著時空移轉，一些景色已經不復舊貌，今昔對照之下，昔日八景以天然景觀取勝，但貫注了文人吟風弄月的匠心，富有濃濃詩意，如漁火晚渡、聽濤春潮、朝日夕霞、春雨秋月…；今日八景則加入了文化與建設的輝煌成果，如台北101、台北故宮，甚至高雄愛河，也是因為整治成功，而成為民眾流連忘返的都會美景。美景名單隨著時空轉變實屬自然，熱門景點固然有其特出之處，但人人心目中的美景必然不盡相同。

 

藝術家心中的台灣八景

參加台灣八景創作之旅的三位藝術家：林磐聳、周剛、薛松，對於台灣之旅充滿憧憬，兩位大陸藝術家周剛、薛松自是不在話下，雖然他們皆非首次遊台灣，但是像這種肩負創作目的的深度之旅卻是第一次，尤其又有專門為他們詳細規劃行程的導遊一路相伴，當然不會等閒視之；至於林磐聳，台灣是生於斯、長於斯的故鄉，足跡早已踏遍台灣各地無以數計，不過，他對以台灣為素材的創作熱情終於不虞匱乏，何況還有兩岸藝術家同行，行政助理隨行侍候，當然心嚮往之。只可惜，三位藝術家都是大忙人，經過無數次居中連繫，竟然排不出同行的旅程，變通之道只好各行其是，反正人人心中各自美景不同，創作方法也各異其趣。如此寬鬆「自由行」的結果，一走就是將近兩年之久。

對於策展人與行政助理來說，藝術家的「自由行」愈多，意謂者狀況愈多，因為行程安排反覆重疊，頗費周章；但從另一個角度來看，三位藝術家各有風格，即使同一地點多次隨行，也有不同收獲，就當作是賺到一次次的旅遊吧！凡事換個心情，又是一番風景。唯一麻煩的是時間似乎總是不夠，因而創作之旅延宕甚久。

林磐聳、周剛與我們一家人於三年前同遊絲路，朝夕相伴，已經是老友了，再度旅行台灣，分外親切。原本要藉著這一次旅行，重溫暢遊絲路的消遙快活，只可惜林磐聳總是太忙，只好放他一馬，隨他自由創作；周剛的行程也很都滿檔，2013年12月，趁著他到亞洲大學開會空檔期間，安排探訪台灣八景，雖然來去匆匆，但是行程緊湊，一樣收獲頗豐。亞洲大學在台中霧峰，第一站就直奔日月潭，接著遍遊台中公園、台中孔廟、鹿港。鹿港之行，巫永堅不但親自參加，並帶了他的父母、女友一塊遊玩，一行人男女老少，浩浩蕩蕩，有說有笑，周剛依然能抓緊時間，認真寫生；接著南下古都台南，走訪赤崁樓和武廟；回程北上參觀國父紀念館和101大樓。有趣的是，國父紀念館原來不在周剛規劃的台灣八景之內，為了要畫101大樓，我們驅車在101大樓周邊逛了兩圈，都找不到合適描繪的角度和地點，最後決定拉遠距離，以便觀察全貌，到了國父紀念館前廣場，發現可以遠眺101大樓全景，角度、背景俱佳，周剛喜出望外，開心展紙動筆，畫霓101大樓，他意猶未盡，無畏當天攝氏10度的刺骨寒風，又畫了一張國父紀念館，之後到對面吃了一大碗牛肉麵，寒氣盡消，大呼痛快淋漓。

全台一行，讓周剛印象最深刻的首推鹿港龍山寺，龍山寺的簡潔素樸之美與廊柱飛簷線條的優雅俐落，較之一般閩南式寺廟的金碧輝煌，多了一分雅緻，少了一分俗麗。抵達龍山寺的午後，恰逢寒流來襲，鹿港緊鄰彰化海濱，海風肆虐，同行人等儘皆入廟避寒，周剛不愧是陝西長大的男子漢，不畏低溫寒風，一個人坐在廟埕專心致意作畫。

薛松為了台灣八景創作計劃兩度來台，第一次走訪101大樓、日月潭、阿里山、台南（赤崁樓、安平古堡、武廟）、高雄（左營春秋閣、英國領事館）、淡水。第二次走訪台灣之外的馬祖以及東部的花蓮，之所以遠赴馬祖，一是巫永堅在馬祖藏有一批好酒，酒香引人，二是馬祖的前哨戰地，讓薛松感受一下兩岸對峙時期的肅殺氣氛。

兩次台灣之行，令薛松印象最深刻的地方也是鹿港。他認為，鹿港保留了大片古蹟，而且還是可居可遊的生活古蹟，更為珍貴，對照現今大陸許多城市沒日沒夜大拆特拆，喜新厭舊，新蓋的建物又沒有特色，千篇一律，令人扼腕。薛松興緻昂然地在鹿港的大街小巷穿梭，細細品味，慢慢遊蕩，享受了一般遊客沒有的深度知性之旅，難能可貴的是，古樸小鎮人煙稀落，更引人發思古幽情。位於天后宮對面的永安宮，其主祀是薛府王爺，特別吸引了薛松的興趣，進去探索憑弔一番，才瞭解此薛王爺乃唐朝名將薛仁貴，他在感到與有榮焉之餘，也讚嘆古老文化傳承深入台灣民間，殊為難得。

三年前的絲路之旅，一夥人同進同出，朝夕相伴，旅程中互相扶持，創作時互別苗頭，不時談笑風生，交換所見所聞，也激盪出更多創作靈感，此次遊台灣卻只能各行其是，創作計劃也因而延宕甚久，這實是此行美中不足之處。不過，做為策展人以及行政助理的我們三人，卻仍然很有收獲，從行程規劃之初，搜集台灣歷史文獻、擬定旅遊路線等經驗，讓我重新認識台灣。在規劃行程方面，林磐聳投入最多，他還帶給我幾本有關台灣八景的書籍與史冊，這是激發我深入面對台灣的起點，說來慚愧的是，過去對於自己的故鄉，因為太過熟悉，反而加以忽視，這次為了創作計劃，更為了要讓大陸藝術家迅速進入狀況，我潛心研讀台灣史地，並購買相關書籍分贈每位藝術家。記得薛松來台北的第一天晚上，在101大樓的欣葉餐廳用完餐，順道逛逛101大樓之後，就帶他去台大校園對面巷子裡的書店尋寶，他尤其喜愛「台灣e店」，在裡面待了最久，購買了好多有關台灣史地圖書，他後來一一將相關素材融入自己的油畫創作之中，這一點令我相當感動，並有一種得意的參與感。

周剛與林磐聳的台灣八景作品，一樣都深深打動我的心，這不僅僅是因為他們的作品裡面都有我們策劃的用心痕跡，更因為作品內容是我們一起走過、遊過的地方，裡面有過我們共同的歡笑與記憶，意義更加不比尋常。

1. 1927年8月，《台灣日日新報》舉辦透過民眾投票方式，選出「台灣八景十二勝」，票選結果有兩種說法，其一：基隆旭岡、淡水、八仙山、日月潭、阿里山、壽山、鵝鸞鼻、太魯閣峽谷；其二：烏來、新店、八仙山、日月潭、阿里山、八卦山、台南安平、墾丁。

 

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Beyond the Silk Road, Across the Sea to Taiwan

 – Eight Views of Taiwan: Art Creation Project 2013 – 2015

 

Chances in life are truly wonderful. Who could have predicted, the 2011 art creation journey across the Silk Road with six close friends, and its exhibition at Loftyart Gallery in the following year, did not come to a conclusion with the exhibition’s end. Due to the success of the exhibition (Silk Road: A Contemplative Journey 2011 – 2013) and its catalogue, the project attracted a new sponsor – Yoken Wu. Introduced by Lin (Apex) Pang-soong, Wu sought to follow the footsteps of the Silk Road’s sponsor, Hsu Cong-wei, and asked me to curate another art creation project: Eight Views of Taiwan.

Traveling through the Silk Road, the ancient Buddhist reliefs at the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang were an eye-opener for me, as visual nourishment to my artistic accomplishment. The names of countless patrons carved onto the grottoes’ walls were an unforgettable sight. Because of their donations and offerings, the art of Dunhuang has been preserved and handed down for generations. Hsu Cong-wei and Yoken Wu’s contributions are comparable to the patrons of Dunhuang, and we are pleased to accept this kind of contemplative creation project. However, the execution of Eight Views of Taiwan was rather disoriented. Stretching from 2013, it was finally completed in 2015, much to the relief of our sponsor Yoken Wu.

 

The Beauty of Taiwan, the People or the Scenery?

“The most beautiful scenery in Taiwan is the people,” has recently become a popular phrase, meaning the Taiwanese people are warm and loving. But does it suggest the scenery of taiwan to not be beautiful? Or at least incomparable to the people? In fact, Taiwan’s natural landscape is vastly diverse and full of character, very much like the people.

In the Mid-Sixteenth Century, Portuguese traders sailed upon Taiwan for the first time. As they gazed at the island from their ships, they were moved by its rising mountains and luscious foliage. They thereby named it “Ilha Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island,” and the name Formosa has been proudly held synonymous for Taiwan ever since.

Off the coast of China on the Pacific Ocean, the island of Taiwan is sub-tropical in climate with a wide range of fauna and flora. The island is lined by a central mountain range across its north-south axis, with more than 260 mountains over 3000 meters above sea-level. The highest mountain, Mount Yu, towers at 3952 meters as the tallest in East Asia. Due to its mountainous terrain, Taiwan is abundant in geographical wonders.

As an narrow island, Taiwan has two long coastlines, with very different characteristics. In Taiwan Chorography, complied by a Qing dynasty official in 1694, a list of eight sceneries were outlined, forming the canon of what later became celebrated as the Eight Views of Taiwan. Of the original eight, seven were of the coastal landscapes. Understandably, as the province of Taiwan was not widely inhabited during that time, the choice of sceneries was limited to the coast. However, as time progressed, settlements developed, and regimes changed, the Eight Views of Taiwan changed accordingly.

In 1927 during the Japanese Colonial Period, the Taiwan Daily News selected a new list of Eight Views by popular survey, in which mountains scenes; Mount Ali, Pakua Plateau, Monkey Mountain, Eight Immortals Mountain, Taroko Gorge, gained a majority over coastal scenes; Tamsui and Cape Eluanbi.¹ Also the reservoir Sun Moon Lake made its first appearance on the list.

In 1954 after the retrocession, the republican government of Taiwan established an official Eight Views with Sun Moon Lake, Mount Yu, Fort Zeelandia, Mount Ali, Mount Datun, Taroko Gorge, Qingshui Cliff, and the Pescadores Islands. Finally in 2005, the Tourism Bureau conducted another survey, which selected the current list with the Taipei 101, the Palace Museum, Sun Moon Lake, Mount Ali, Mount Yu, the Love River of Kaohsiung, Kenting National Park, and Taroko Gorge.

As the times change, some sceneries are no longer popular or relevant. In examining the past with the present, it appears in every era, the Eight Views were generally composed of natural landscapes. However, within each landscape there is also a strong sense of human activity or cultural identification. Today, the list includes achievements of human engineering and culture, such as the Taipei 101 and the Palace Museum. As sceneries come and go out of fashion, the changing lists provides an insightful view into the visual culture of Taiwan. While popular locations are outstanding in their own right, the sceneries in everyone’s minds are bound to vary.

Eight Views of Taiwan in the Minds of the Artists

The three artists invited for Eight Views of Taiwan, Lin Pang-soong, Zhou Gang, and Xue Song were pleased by the chance to travel around Taiwan. For the two Mainland Chinese artists, Zhou Gang and Xue Song, that goes without saying. Although it was not their first time visiting Taiwan, an artistic journey such as this was definitely the first, especially with the project curated toward their artistic outlook and personal style. As for Lin Pang-soong, who was born and raised in Taiwan, and has explored nearly every corner of the island, his passion for adopting Taiwan as his subject matter has never waned. Moreover, to be accompanied by fellow cross-strait artists, and friendly painting assistants, Lin was glad to be onboard. Unfortunately as all three artists lead terribly busy lives, despite our relentless effort, a common time for the project could not be reached. Instead, each made a trip separately. It is interesting the project turned out this way, as each artist chose to depict different sceneries. Ultimately, in the spirit of “independent travel,” the project ran for over two years.

As for the curator and painting assistants, the three artists’ separate trips proved to be inconvenient, as their itineraries eventually overlapped in certain locations. However, from another perspective, as each artist has his own style, to all depict the same subject matter would have been unfitting and impersonal. Rather, each location was specifically chosen for an artist, in regards to his artistic medium and mode of representation. And for the curator, as long as one faces each trip in the right mood, the sceneries are beautiful every time.

Lin Pang-soong and Zhou Gang had joined our family on the Silk Road four years ago, and have since remained close friends; to travel again with them around Taiwan would have been a pleasure. We originally planned to revisit our memories of the Silk Road through this journey. Unfortunately, Lin Pang-soong was always too busy, so we were forced to proceed without him. Zhou Gang’s schedule was also full. So in December 2013, while Zhou Gang was attending a conference at Asia University, we used the opportunity for him to begin his Eight Views of Taiwan. Although the schedule was tight, it was rewarding nonetheless. Asia University is located in Wufeng district of Taichung city, from there we first visited Taichung Park and the Confucius Temple; then we crossed south into Nantou county for Sun Moon Lake, and finally headed east to the town of Lukang. There, not only did our sponsor Yoken Wu join us, he also brought his parents and daughter to join us as patrons of the arts. While we scrolled leisurely through these scenic locations, Zhou Gang wasted no time and sketched away furiously. Further south, we traveled to the ancient capital of Tainan, and visited the city’s Martial Temple and the old Dutch settlement of Fort Provintia. On the return trip north, we stopped at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and the Taipei 101. Originally, the Memorial Hall was not envisioned as one of Zhou’s Eight Views, but in order to capture the 101 from a suitable angle, we circled the tower until we arrived in front of the Memorial Hall, and Zhou was more than pleased with the location and began sketching immediately. Once he started, despite the cold winter weather, he could not stop, and the painting of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall was the result.

Of Zhou Gang’s tour around Taiwan, he was most impressed by the Longshan Temple at Lukang, in which the buddhist temple’s simplistic design and rustic charm provided a refreshing alternative, to the usually elaborate Southern Hokkien style of architecture common to Taiwan. Having arrived at Longshan Temple late in the afternoon that day, the weather was extremely cold. As Lukang was an old port by the sea, the ocean wind brought devastating chills throughout the town. While the rest of us sought refuge inside the temple, Zhou sat alone outside, in sheer defiance to the wind, and concentrated on his art.

For the Eight Views of Taiwan project, Xue Song made two trips to Taiwan; the first included the Taipei 101, Sun Moon Lake, Mount Ali, Tainan (Fort Provintia, Fort Zeelandia, and the Martial Temple), Kaohsiung (the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas and the Former British Consulate), and Tamsui. The second trip was to the Matsu Islands and Hualien in Eastern Taiwan. What drew us all the way off the coast of Taiwan to Matsu was principally Yoken Wu’s Kaoliang liquor collection there, but also Matsu’s rich heritage of the Chinese Civil War, a subject in which Xue Song has long explored in his artwork.

Twice visiting Taiwan, what left Xue Song with the strongest impression was also Lukang. Xue felt Lukang preserved a great amount of historical sites, in which many sites still operate and function as they did in historical times. This stands as a stark comparison to the ceaseless demolition and new construction occurring in Mainland China, where the newly-built lack genuine forms of connection with the past. In Lukang, Xue eagerly walked through every main roads and small alleyways, fully appreciating the pattern and spirit of the town. Across from the main city temple, was what appeared to be small shrine dedicated to the Patriarch of the House of Xue, which naturally caught Xue Song’s attention. After a brief investigation, he proudly discovered the patriarch, who shares a rare surname with him, was a historical general from the Tang dynasty, whose legacy has been preserved and appropriated into Taiwanese folklore. Although the town of Lukang was rather empty, traces of its past glory could still be felt.

Recalling the journey across the Silk Road four years ago, the artists traveled as a group, painting together day and night, while sharing ideas as well as laughter. This time, the journey around Taiwan was made separately by each artist, which is somewhat regrettable. However, as the curator, the extended journey proved to be just as rewarding. From researching Taiwanese history to the planning of each location, the whole experience gave me a chance to consciously revisit Taiwan. In terms of the itinerary, Lin Pang-soong contributed the most. Lin found several books and historical documents on the Eight Views of Taiwan canon, which inspired me to dive deep into my own investigation of visual culture in Taiwan. During my research I realized, as I am ashamed to admit, due to the apparent familiarity with the subject, I have ignored or overlooked certain aspects in the past. This time, for the project, and also for sake of the Mainland Chinese artists, I read widely on Taiwanese geography and its relation to cultural heritage; and shared with the artists my humble findings. On Xue Song’s first night in Taipei, after dinning on top of the Taipei 101, we went shopping for materials, in bookstores hidden in the alleyways across from the National Taiwan University. Xue’s favorite store was one dedicated to Taiwanese history, where he spent the longest time picking out materials for his collages. I was particularly impressed by Xue’s genuine attitude toward his art, which also gave me a sense of involvement in the creation process.

Zhou Gang and Lin Pang-soong’s artworks for Eights Views of Taiwan were also quite moving for me, not only because they reflect my curatorial effort and research, but more importantly because the artworks contain journeys in which we travelled together, with laughter and memories we shared – this is what makes the artworks so special.

Elaine Suyu Liu

 

¹ Taiwan Daily News, August 1927: A popular survey was conducted for selecting Eight Views of Taiwan in which the result has been a topic of debate between two versions. 1: Keelung, Tamsui, Eight Immortals Mountain, Pakua Plateau, Sun Moon Lake, Mount Ali, Monkey Mountain, Cape Eluanbi and Taroko Gorge. 2: Wulai, Hsindian, Eight Immortals Mountain,, Sun Moon Late, Mount Ali, Pakua Plateau, Fort Zeelandia, and Kenting.