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Daily life in Lo-Sheng
The sanatorium provided basic food, clothing, and housing for the residents. At the beginning the sanatorium hired people to cook. But from August 1931 onward, inhabitants with milder symptoms of the disease started to take responsibility for cooking for all the residents.
There was plenty of other work in the sanatorium, and work formed an important part of life. According to the administration, work was a way to build morale among residents. From a practical perspective, encouraging residents to wash clothes, cook, and do chores also facilitated the operation of the sanatorium. As time passed, the work expanded to include farming, animal husbandry, woodworking, gardening, sewing, hairdressing, and so on. Inhabitants received some pay for their work. The chart below records work done, the number of workers, and their pay.
Image 8: Report recording work completed by residents (1940)
Many religious faiths were represented among residents including Buddhism (Zen and Shin Buddhism), Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism), Tenrikyo, Matsu, Kings, and others. At the end of 1938, residents formed a Buddhist group called Cihui Association (慈慧會) and a Protestant group called the Shengwang Church (聖望教會).
After WWII, three important religious structures were built. The pastors James Ira Dickson (孫雅各) and Lillian R. Dickson (孫理蓮) helped build Shengwang Presbyterian Church (聖望教堂) in 1952. Afterwards, Buddhists in the sanatorium decided to erect a temple by themselves, and Qilianjingshe (棲蓮精舍) was constructed in 1954. Father Luis Gutheinz, S. J. also arranged to build a Catholic church, and St. Williams Catholic Church (聖威廉天主堂) was completed in 1971. These institutions formed the three main religious groups of Lo-Sheng. Later on, they started to take turns organizing cooking duties, the cooperative, and other work.
Image 9: Photo of the Shengwang Church in Record of Taiwan Provincial Lo-Sheng Sanatorium
(1996)
Image 10: Photo of Qilianjingshe in Record of Taiwan Provincial Lo-Sheng Sanatorium
(1996)
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