TiT Museums:Keeping Taiwan's Traditional Crafts Alive

Keeping Crafts Alive

By Melanie Seligman Photos by Sung Chih-hsiung

If a people were classified according to how talented they were with their hands, the Taiwanese would be ranked near the top of the list. The Taiwanese are justifiably proud of their handicrafts and are determined that technology will help, not hinder, their handicraft industry.

The Taiwan Provincial Handicrafts Research Institute in central Taiwan aims to,"develop public awareness of handicrafts, and promote spiritual well-being" In order to bring this about, the ROC government created the Taiwan Provincial Handicraft Research Institute at Tsaotun (草屯) in Nantou county, central Taiwan. This is not just another handicraft mart like the ones in Taipei; it is an institute dedicated to the research, development, and promotion of Taiwan's handicraft industry.

Most visitors begin their tour of the institute in the four-storied building called the Crafts Exhibition Center, where the best handicraft products and newly designed works are displayed. A wide variety of artifacts made by Taiwanese manufacturers and members of the institute adorn the center's interior. Here visitors can see the fruits of Taiwan artists' labors--from bamboo

furniture and rattan mats, to intricate metalwork and stone sculptures. Lovers of ceramics, glassware, and marble sculpture won't be disappointed either. Jewelry, hand-woven cloth, knitted costumes, toys, and puppets also abound.

The Crafts Exhibition Center displays the best work of local Taiwan artists. Glistening glass and lustrous lanterns
One of the highlights of the center is a display of glass by Yang, Newworkshop and Company in Tamsui (淡水). The long and complicated history of glass-making in China spans a period of around 3,000 years, yet this has been one of the country's most neglected art forms. Heavily dependent on the prevailing levels of technology at the time, the art developed from the manufacture of glass beads, evolving through imitations of decorative jade ornaments, bracelets,

and sword fittings, to blown vases. The designs produced by Loretta Yang (楊惠珊) and her workshop in Tamsui combine ethnic motifs and Chinese legends with modern technology to produce Taiwanese glass art, which has caught the attention of glass connoisseurs from around the world.

Among the most appealing crafts on show are Wu Tun-hou's (吳敦厚) colorful lanterns. Wu, from Lukang (鹿港), a central Taiwanese town steeped in traditional culture, regards lantern-making as his personal duty. He began making folk lanterns when he was 15 and still uses traditional methods. His delicately painted lanterns usually combine animal motifs and calligraphy.

The center offers visitors a wide selection of ceramic art by Taiwan potters. You too can learn a craft
After browsing around the Craft Exhibition Center, visitors can proceed to a data center, drying kilns, processing rooms, and laboratory. Anyone interested in learning more about a particular craft may attend courses--language skills permitting, as all classes are in Chinese--and stay on site in specially constructed dormitories.

The best way to grasp an understanding of the methods involved in each craft is to tour the research laboratory, factory, and kilns. Here visitors can watch people trim the edges of a ceramic bowl, experiment with different kiln temperatures, test methods of wood sanding, and engage in numerous other related activities.

The institute is concerned with both the old and the new. One of its aims is to preserve traditional Chinese craft skills and develop products with unique national characteristics. The institute also makes an effort to introduce new design trends to inspire manufacturers to create their own products.

The institute can be reached by car and is close to several tourist locations in central Taiwan. From the north, head for Sun Moon Lake or the Hsitou Forest Recreation Area, and you will pass Tsaotun on the highway south of Taichung. Address: 573 Chungcheng Road, Tsaotun. Tel: (049) 334141. Opening hours are 9-12 a.m. and 1-5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. The institute is closed on Mondays and public holidays.