Taipei Zhongshan Hall

The large-scale bas-relief “Water Buffalo,” an iconic work of Taiwanese art on display since 1937 at Zhongshan Hall (known during the Japanese colonial era as the Taipei City Public Auditorium), inlaid in the wall of the high-ceilinged stairwell in front of Guangfu Auditorium, has long been the treasure of Zhongshan Hall. Recently, a celebration marking the first-ever release of a postage stamp commemorating a “national treasure” sculpture was held in front of the original work “Water Buffalo” by Huang Tu-shui at Zhongshan Hall. This signficant event was organized jointly by the Taiwan Postal Service, the preparatory office of the Headquarters Administration of Cultural Heritage under the Council for Cultural Affairs, and Zhongshan Hall, a subsidiary of the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs. “Water Buffalo” features the profile figures of five buffalo and three unclothed boy herders, set against a background of arching plantain leaves. Two of the boys are riding buffalo; the boy on the left is playing with a conical hat balanced at the end of a bamboo staff, while the boy on the right wears a conical hat on his head. The third boy stands on the ground looking a buffalo in the face with his hat behind him. The positions and postures of the three boys and their hats are all treated uniquely. Likewise, the five buffalo face different directions, three looking toward the right, with a calf in the middle, indicating that it is being protected by its mother and father. In particular, the calf and the boy gazing into each other’s eyes display a sense of warmth and caring, and have been the source of much discussion.