The red banners hanging above the shrine are eulogy letters, The one in the center is from Chen Shui-bian, President of Taiwan! You see, my grandfather was an amateur poet, highly skilled at Chinese calligraphy. He has had his work on display in China and at the National Palace Museum in Taipei. He belonged to a calligraphy association, which lobbied hard to get as many of these eulogies as possible from government officials. They really came through. The banners next to the President's are other high-ranking dignitaries, possibly the vice president and premier.

Behind them, in white, are pairs of poems from other people, also written as eulogies. All these banners are usually written on white cloth, but in the case of someone of very advanced age (over 90), red can be used as well, representing longevity. After the funeral, all these banners would have been burned. Keeping anything associated with death invites bad luck.