Four objets d’art by wood-carving sculptor/artist Mr. Wu Jung-hsi have arrived at Pres. Chang Horng-jinh’s reception room, and filled their temporary lodging with an awesome yet magnificent air.

These four giant-sized guests commanded grace and power. Their names also suggest hyperbole, even paradox. For instance, a two-faced image represents the benevolent Buddha on the one hand, while on the other, the reverse side connotes the power of evil embodied in the person of Pa Wang, a legendary hero whose defeat by the first Emperor of Han dynasty has inspired many artists ever since, including Mr. Wu himself.

He had chosen a block of dark colored hard wood to carve out another work, named “King Chu Bidding Farewell to His Beloved Concubine”. He said the suicide of the tragic king has given him the inspiration because he could not face his compatriots on the east side of River Wu, so he ended his life with his own sword.

Mr. Wu, 56, now a junior majoring Chinese Literature at T.K.U., is a world-renowned wooden sculpture artist. He has held many exhibitions, first at Taipei, then around the world since l986. His fame has stretched from Singapore, Hong Kong, to Belgium, France and Costa Rica. For every Tamkang person, we should be proud of him.