英文摘要:The Study on Credence of Traditional Temples and Ancestral Shrines in Taiwan Master thesis of Department of Architecture of Chung Yuan Christian University January, 2005 By Cheng, Pi-Ying Thesis Adviser:Hsueh Chin With years of scholarly effort to preserve, Taiwan’s traditional buildings have gained great attention from both the government and the society. Now there are over 400 protected historical sites and buildings throughout the nation. However, studies for traditional furniture, such as credence, are only limited to local areas or single temple venues. The credence, usually placed in important spots indoor, not only serve as important artifacts to folk religions and worship rituals, but also represent the history and prosperity of the ancientness of the buildings. Therefore it is important to emphasize and treat the building and the credence as a whole. However, there have been losses and thefts throughout these historic venues, and thus it is necessary and urgent to conduct searches and establish an integrated system for credence. This study is based on temples in historical sites located in Taiwan, Peng Hu, and Kin men. To form a database for credence found in traditional temple in Taiwan, each venue was visited with information collected. Interviews with carpentry masters were conducted to collect about the makes, features of makes from different areas, skills and factions, and reconstructed old credence. Features of different times, geographical scatters, and construction/produces are the 3 center focuses of this study, as it explores the development, style, features associated with the areas, art, culture and content. This paper is divided into 5 major chapters with details listed as below: Chapter 1﹒Introduction: The discussions include motivations, goals, area division, research methods, steps, as well as the definitions, origins, and sizes of the credence, and their relations with worship spaces. Chapter 2﹒Features of different times: the development of credence is discussed in terms of historical and social influences. The style and changes unique to each period is noted. Chapter 3﹒Geographical scatters and differences: different styles and features of credence from varied areas are discussed as well as their coverage region. Chapter 4﹒Analysis of constructions and makes: observations of the dados, structures, piece styles, moulding and themes, expressions and craftsmanship, materials, expressions, and artisans are each analyzed in terms of the craftsmanship. Chapter 5﹒Conclusions and Suggestions: To sum up, this study marks the distinctiveness of credence changes throughout different times. The constructed silhouette through this study brings affirmation to the historical values of traditional temple offering tables in Taiwan.