Handcrafts

    Local handcrafts in Taiwan were made according to our daily needs, our climate, our natural environment, culture, history and religion. Traditional handcrafts represent generations of wisdom and creativity and represent the beauty of the harmony between man and nature. 

Ø   三義木雕Sanyi wood carving

    The town of Sanyi is known internationally as the center of wood carving in Taiwan. Sanyi is situated in a mountainous area with very little fertile land, but the acid clay of the hills is suitable for cultivation of camphor trees and tea trees.

    During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, the Japanese cut down camphor trees for medical and industrial purpose. When camphor trees were deforested, workers were hired to grow tea trees. Our early ancestors living in Sanyi were hired by the Japanese to plant tea trees, and they accidentally discovered roots of chopped camphor trees buried deep underground. The roots were partly eaten away by termites, but once excavated and clean, they became natural wood of high decorative value. These natural woods are thus considered nature’s works of art.

    Of course, not all natural wood can become artwork without any help. Skilled sculptors usually use the original shape as the base to start carving and carve new life into the wood. This is how wood carving in Sanyi becomes so well-known in the world.

出處：http://wood.mlc.gov.tw/english/a/a01_01.asp

Ø   鶯歌陶瓷Yingge ceramics

    Yingge, the city of ceramics, has a reputation for high quality ceramics after potters and brick makers began to produce tea sets to accompany specially cultivated tea locally produced by Hakka Chinese immigrants.

    Over a hundred years ago, the Yingge ceramic industry was born out of this fertile land, enhancing the local Taiwanese culture with its boundless vitality. The pioneers, with their bursting creativity and strenuous determination, worked hard to make this town a prosperous center of ceramics design and production.

    The main attraction in the town is Yingge Old Street which is a pedestrian shopping street specializing in ceramic arts, pottery, porcelain, and other related products ranging all price points.

Ø   美濃油紙傘Meinung Paper Umbrella

    The Hakka people of the historic town of Meinung fashion amazing umbrellas out of bamboo and paper. These umbrellas, which are lacquered and painted in colorful designs, actually work fine in the rain. They also shade delicate skin from the hot sun; and, when not in practical use, they make lovely room decorations and even lamp shades.  

    Umbrellas are a symbol of good luck for Hakka people. The Hakka word for paper has the same sound as the word for child, and the Chinese character for umbrella “傘” represents a group of people under a shelter. So umbrellas are traditionally part of the dowry as auspicious for having many children. However, giving an umbrella as a gift is not good in Chinese mainstream culture. In Mandarin the word for umbrella sounds similar to "separate", so giving an umbrella to a person means you want to break the relationship.

Ø   泰雅籐編Atayal Weaving

    The Atayal tribe is distributed in the northern part of Taiwan’s Central Mountain areas. They have developed intricate fabric weaving skills, featuring sophisticated patterns and designs. The delicate patterns usually came from a variety of different diamond designs. In Atayal language, diamond also refers to eyes which, in Atayal culture, representing the soul of a human being, and, sometimes, the ancestor.

    Atayals don’t have their own character system to record their language, but they created a pattern system woven into the fabric with which they make their clothes. It’s like a history record worn by every Atayal that silently sending their messages to tribal folks, alien races, the spirit of ancestor, ghosts and gods, and to every real or imaginary targets in the world.

Ø   交趾陶Chiayi City Koji Ceramic Museum

    Koji is a kind of soft ceramic sintered in low temperature environments. In earlier times, Koji ceramic was used for wall-decorations in numerous temples in Taiwan. Now some of the Koji ceramic trinkets have turned into household collections. Koji figures are usually historic warriors, emperors, and animals in folklore, or figures depicting Chinese culture and history. The former serve as blessing symbols, as for the latter, they usually conduct moral lessons. The development of Koji ceramic can be traced back to famous masters such as Yei Wang and later on, Lin Tian-mu. Both of the craftsmen are from Chiayi.