Getting to Know the Sunflower Generation

A Fulbright Year Learning from Taiwan's Youth

Tiles: Art and History

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These beautiful tiles are a traditional Taiwanese decorative art. During the colonial era (1895-1945) they were imported from Japan. Now they’re made in Taiwan. Their construction is impressive: both the textured surfaces and the brilliant colors can last for over a hundred years. The patterns all have symbolic meanings. My friend Annie studies the meaning of flowers in literature so I chose a few flower designs to explore the symbolism.

decorative tiles on a wall
These tiles, displayed in a museum/shop in the Red House in Taipei, are over 100 years old. They’ve been collected from all over Taiwan.
Tile of a flower.
Mudan (牡丹) represents luxury.
A decorative tile.
The woman who explained the tiles and their history and symbolism said that marigold (金盞花) means “never give up.”
Decorative tile.
I don’t know what this blue flower is in English, but it has a really long Chinese name: 伯斯婆婆納. It symbolizes health and peace.
Decorative tiles
The pink flowers are carnation (康乃馨). They represent mother’s love.
Tiles decorated with fruits.
The 3-D fruits on these tiles represent temple offerings.
A cave and waterfall.
My favorite tiles in situ are in a temple in a cave behind a waterfall in the mountains south of Taipei.
Temple altar with statues and offerings.
The altar in the cave temple is surrounded by tiles.
Tiles and red lights.
These tiles under the altar include deities. And yes, that is a little tiger. He’s a protector.
Tiles
Several of the tiles under the altar were also in the museum shop at the Red House, including the ones in the bottom row and the pineapple/banana combo.
Decorative tiles
The side of the altar.
A geometrical tile pattern
I took this photo in a house in Jianye Military Dependents Village. This kind of tile was popular in the ’50s; it was in all the houses. Several that we visited still had the original bathroom tile. Isn’t it fabulous?

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Comments

  1. This is so interesting, Shelley! The tiles are beautiful, and I’m fascinated by the meanings of these flowers. In Western flower symbolism:

    牡丹 (peony) means anger, shame, or bashfulness
    金盞花 (marigold) means cruelty, inquietude, despair, contempt, or grief
    伯斯婆婆納 (veronica) means fidelity
    康乃馨 (carnation) means pride, pride and beauty, or disdain

    19th century European and US flower languages are notoriously inconsistent, hence the multiple meanings. The symbolism derived from the plant’s uses, color, habitat, folklore, physical characteristics, and more. — annie

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