Cultural Heritage Park in the central city of Taichung is playing a critical role in preserving Taiwan’s craft traditions, underscoring the government’s commitment to passing down the country’s cultural legacy to future generations.
Operated by the Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Cultural Heritage, CHP hosts a range of exhibitions in its renovated Japanese colonial era (1895-1945) buildings, including a recent display titled “Textiles and Their Story” that demonstrated how repairs are carried out on cloth items like pilgrimage banners damaged by incense smoke, light, humidity and microorganisms.
One recent exhibition at CHP focuses on the skills for conserving fabrics. (Staff photo / Chin Hung-hao)
Also housed on CHP grounds are the Artisan and 1916 Workshops, which respectively cultivate talent specializing in renovating or rebuilding historical sites and foster interactions between cultural and creative studios.
Launched in 2019, the Artisan Workshop offers courses in various technical categories like joinery, masonry and tile roofing for craftpeople with at least one year of related work experience.
The classes are popular among those pursuing excellence in structural conservation thanks to the array of master-level instructors such as Fu Ming-guang, who is recognized by BOCH as an important preserver of tile roofing skills.
“The octogenarian is still among the best in the trade, and he shared all he knows about it,” said Zheng Ming-wei, who trained in the workshop in 2021. “He overturned the use of many methods I’d taken for granted for a long time, convincing me to change my tiling process.”
The training helps craftspeople obtain BOCH certification, which is increasingly essential to work in the sector.
The Artisan Workshop offers courses in technical skills like carpentry. (Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Park)
Meanwhile the 1916 Workshop is cultivating a cluster of artistic troupes and studios at CHP. Among the entities operating in the park is Smile Folksong Group, which promotes an old Taiwan song style known as liamkua.
“All performers struggle to find rehearsal and equipment storage space, so it’s great for us to have CHP as a base in downtown Taichung,” said Ati Chu, one of the group’s founders.
Like the Artisan Workshop, 1916 invites established masters in various crafts to share their expertise each year. In 2022 the workshop targeted bamboo weaving, lacquer art and glove puppetry, with a total of 34 students completing the courses.
“As a form of soft power, cultural heritage shapes Taiwan’s identity and thus is receiving public-private attention,” BOCH Chief Secretary Lin Man-yuan said. “The CHP acts as a crucible for conservation skills and techniques in both tangible and intangible heritage.” (E) (By Oscar Chung)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
Ati Chu of Smile Folksong Group rehearses for a performance at the 1916 Workshop. (Staff photo / Chin Hung-hao)
(This article is adapted from “Encouraging Symbiosis” in the March/April 2023 issue of Taiwan Review. The Taiwan Review archives dating to 1951 are available online.)