Weird Butterfly Ceremony

課文：

The artist’s style

Taking Yang’s advice, Chang simplified his style, turning from realistic pieces to stylized ones. With wood as his medium of choice, Chang focused on creating landscape-themed sculptures, finding inspiration in the marble canyons of Taroko National Park. His treks to the park resulted in a series of carvings that captured the rugged beauty of Taroko’s canyon walls, waterfalls and rapids.

By 1988, four years into his art career, Chang was winning awards for his art, which was becoming sought after by museums in Taiwan.

simplify：使簡化、使單純化
realistic：現實的
stylized：格式化的
medium：媒介（物）
inspiration：靈感
marble：大理石
canyon：峽谷
trek：長途旅行、長途跋涉
resulted in：導致、結果是
series of：連續、系列
capture：捕獲、獲得、記錄
rugged：高低不平的、嚴峻的
rapid：急流
sought after：受歡迎的、很吃香的

The artist’s themes

Chang often features spiritual themes in his landscape sculptures. Prodigy, a piece that he labored over for 16 years, illustrates the Bible story of Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt. Considered a masterpiece, the wooden carving captures the moment when God parted the Red Sea. In The Breakthrough Bestowed by God, a copper sculpture, Chang portrays the struggle of a grape tree that’s bursting through stone barriers. This complex piece serves as a metaphor for seeking God’s assistance in all struggles.

As a sculptor whose career began at 47, Chang’s success proves that – for a passionate artist – it’s never too late to start!

feature：特徵、特色
spiritual：精神上的、心靈的
prodigy：神蹟、奇蹟、奇觀、奇才
labor：吃力的、勞動、工作
illustrate：說明、闡明
masterpiece：傑作、名作
breakthrough：突破點、突破性進展
bestow：授予、賜予
copper：銅製品
portray：描寫、表現
struggle：奮鬥
bursting：充滿的、許多的
complex：複雜的
metaphor：象徵、隱喻
seek：尋找、追求
assistance：援助、幫助
prove：證明
passionate：熱情的

文法：
V.ing … , someone do something, V.ing …（某人採取…行動與做…事後，結果就是…）

特別補充：
take it from me!：相信我的話（我敢擔保）
simplified：簡體字
traditional：繁體字