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Ximending is a must-go destination for any traveler to Taipei. Tucked within its bustling streets is the Shizilin Commercial Building, the site of many fond memories for generations of young Taiwanese. But have you noticed the relief sculpture on the outside wall? Called Golden Pearl Gathering Phoenixes, it’s the work of famed artist Hsieh Hsiao-te, personally commissioned by Shin Kong Group founder Wu Ho-su. Today, we’ll show you the secrets of this sculpture and learn its story.

Ma Sheng-chieh
FTV reporter
When walking around Ximending, you’ll almost certainly walk past the massive Shizilin Commercial Building at some point. But I bet you’re unfamiliar with this huge relief sculpture on the side.

This relief stretching up the wall is called Golden Pearl Gathering Phoenixes. The pearl in the center has long since lost its golden shine, just like the building itself. It used to be the heart of Ximending, but is now a shell of its former self.

Let’s go back to 1979, when the building had only been open for three months. The plaza in front of the sculpture was bustling with people. After 47 years, the place has lost its shimmer. The crowds have been replaced by crude stalls made of sheet metal. The phoenixes are now an abandoned ruin, neglected and forgotten.

This elderly man in a red hat is none other than the artist himself, 86-year-old Hsieh Hsiao-te.

Hsieh Yu-wei
Hsieh Hsiao-te’s son
He began with a curve, channeling all the energy into a single pearl as though stars are converging. The color of the pearl has faded. It used to be pure gold. The golden pearl is Shizilin, where people of note gathered like these phoenixes. It was extremely lively back then.

This is the artist’s son, Hsieh Yu-wei, who brought his father to visit his old work. Steeped in the art world since he was a child, Hsieh Yu-wei followed in his father’s footsteps. Besides excelling as a painter, he’s also a singer who won the 2004 Golden Melody Award for Best Hakka-language Singer.

Hsieh Yu-wei
Hsieh Hsiao-te’s son
I wanted to be like my dad and aspired to become an artist or an art teacher. My dad loved to listen to music while painting, and I would listen with him. So I eventually got a guitar and played around with it at home. In college I studied art, but I was also in a band.

This father and son duo have carved out a place for themselves in the art world. By sharing the story of the Shizilin relief, they can help revive the beauty of a forgotten time.

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