Taiwanese sculptor giving discarded gods a home

Every spare surface of Lin Hsin-lai's four-storey shop is crammed with a pantheon of Taiwan's celestial beings, testament to the decades he has spent sheltering and restoring unwanted statues of gods. | Sculptor Lin Hsin-lai displays a Taoist god statue at his workplace in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

To venture inside is a tour of the heavens. Thousands of statues fill the shelves, from popular deities such as the sea goddess Mazu and the fearsome Guan Yu - a red-faced warrior god worshipped by police and gangsters alike - to lesser known beings like a tiger shaped guardian spirit.

Buddhism and Taoism, the island's two dominant religions, venerate a host of gods and incarnations - bolstered by a slew of colourful folk deities. Yet many are thrown away. Lin Hsin-lai restoring a Taoist god statue.

So over the last four decades, Lin, 61, has embarked on a one-man mission to adopt any god statue that may need a new home. | Sculptor Lin Hsin-lai displays a Taoist god statue at his workplace in Taoyuan, Taiwan.

The trained sculptor estimates he has saved some 20,000 statues over the years. | Lin Hsin-lai paints a Taoist god statue.

A woman takes her new Taoist god statue home after it was restored by sculptor Lin Hsin-lai.

A man holds his new Taoist god statue above a fire during a blessing ceremony after it was restored by sculptor Lin Hsin-lai.

A woman holds her new Taoist god statue above a fire during a blessing ceremony after it was restored by sculptor Lin Hsin-lai.