In the fall of 1917, just before the second major restoration of Pao An Temple in Taipei, the temple's management committee asked master builders Ch'en Ying-pin and Kuo T'a to get together with them for some "communication." Since both builders wanted to bid for the work, the committee was trying to figure out just which one should get the nod.

After the directors put their heads together and thrashed things out, it was decided to let each builder have a piece of the action. That way, they figured, neither one would be offended and each would go all out to prove himself better than the other.

Notified of the decision, the two builders shook hands like sportsmen before a match. The temple authorities put up a partition to prevent them from seeing each other's progress until the work was over.

Before a competition of this sort would formally begin, the two sides would normally coordinate measurements and the overall layout, such as the position of pillars and the height of the roof, to avoid a mismatch at the finish.

"But even if all the details were arranged beforehand, there was still a possibility the two parts would wind up out of whack," notes renowned architect Li Ch'ien-lang. When Wan Hui Temple in Wantan, Pingtung County, was put up in 1931, a discrepancy in the height of the pillars in the main hall led to a tussle between the two sides that the local elders remember to this day.

Once the layout and measurements had been arranged, the work could begin. Since the overall structure was a given, to earn the favor of the authorities the builders would concentrate on the details of the design, such as the decoration of the pillars and beams.

When two tigers go at it tooth and nail, one of them will come out on top, and a battle between builders is no exception. After the work was finished, the management committee would evaluate the results and determine the awards.

"Generally speaking, both sides would get an award. It was just a question of how much," says Lin Chih-hao, who has engaged in the restoration work of historic buildings.

However, back during the second restoration of Pao An Temple, the builder who handled the work on the left side, Hung K'un-fu, swept up all the prize money, and the builder responsible for the right side came up emptyhanded.

As a matter of fact, dividing construction of a temple between two builders occurred on Taiwan way back in the early years of the Ching dynasty, only the com petitive flavor wasn't so thick.

Li Ch'ien-lang says that besides dividing work front and back or left and right, there was also the four-corner method, as used for Ta Hsien Temple in Kuantzeling, Tainan, and the 45-degree-angle cut, used for Lai-ch'ing Pavilion at the Lin Family Gardens in Panchiao.

That Lai Ch'ing Pavilion was constructed by competing builders was discovered just a few years ago when a group of students from Taiwan National University carried out a survey of the gardens from various angles and noticed discrepancies in their diagrams.

"The opportunity for competitive construction of private residences was rather rare, and we're still not sure what purpose they had in dividing along a 45-degree angle. My own conjecture is that it may have been due to feng-shui, or geomancy," Li Ch'ien-lang says.

Master temple builders on Taiwan were once almost all from the mainland. It was not until the early years of this century that local builders picked up steam and began to compete against them head to head.

These days competitive construction of temples is rare as hen's teeth, mainly because people today lack interest in learning the craft. Religious authorities thank the Lord if they can find one builder willing to work on a temple, let alone asking for two!

[Picture Caption]

The bamboo-joint windows in the temple's two gate houses are the work of two different craftsmen.

These beams are on either side of the main hall at Tzu Yu Temple. Can you spot the differences?

The stone windows on either side of the main entrance to Tzu Yu Temple at Chungkang differ in form. (photo courtesy of Li Ch'ien-lang)

The carvings on either side of the Pao An Temple give an idea of the craftsmanship of the builders.

Hung K'un-fu won over the hearts of the Pao An Temple management committee with his elaborate rooftop decorations and walked away with all the prize money. (photo courtesy of Li Ch'ien-lang)

Wan-hua Chu-shun Chiang-chun Temple was constructed by a local Taiwanese builder competing with a mainlander.

The ceiling work in Hsinchuang Ti Tzan Temple features a variety of patterns.

Whether it be for hewing, lacquering, or stringing, both the selection of materials and the crafting must be meticulous to get a fine ch'in.

Whether it be for hewing, lacquering, or stringing, both the selection of materials and the crafting must be meticulous to get a fine ch'in.

Whether it be for hewing, lacquering, or stringing, both the selection of materials and the crafting must be meticulous to get a fine ch'in.

The bamboo-joint windows in the temple's two gate houses are the work of two different craftsmen.

The bamboo-joint windows in the temple's two gate houses are the work of two different craftsmen.。.

The stone windows on either side of the main entrance to Tzu Yu Temple at Chungkang differ in form. （photo courtesy of Li Ch'ien-lang）

These beams are on either side of the main hall at Tzu Yu Temple. Can you spot the differences?

These beams are on either side of the main hall at Tzu Yu Temple. Can you spot the differences?

The carvings on either side of the Pao An Temple give an idea of the craftsmanship of the builders.

Hung K'un-fu won over the hearts of the Pao An Temple management committee with his elaborate rooftop decorations and walked away with all the prize money. （photo courtesy of Li Ch'ien-lang）

Hung K'un-fu won over the hearts of the Pao An Temple management committee with his elaborate rooftop decorations and walked away with all the prize money. （photo courtesy of Li Ch'ien-lang）

Wan-hua Chu-shun Chiang-chun Temple was constructed by a local Taiwanese builder competing with a mainlander.

The ceiling work in Hsinchuang Ti Tzan Temple features a variety of patterns.