Taiwan Today

Miaoli County, known for its clay, has long been called the ceramics capital of Taiwan. It was also the first manufacturing center for ceramic ornamental products in the world. Even though the glory days of the county’s ceramics industry are long gone, its wood-firing kilns are surging with popularity. Besides the well-known Chunan Snake Kiln, the Yuanlihua Kiln, the Qing Kiln, the Chuntian Kiln, the Ketao Kiln and the Miaoli Kiln have appeared as well, attracting many ceramics artists to get involved in the wood-firing technique. Lin Rui-hua, who operates the Chunan Snake Kiln, says that old kilns of the early days were primarily used for firing ceramic items for daily life, along with ceramic tiles and fixtures in the bathroom, adding that the oldest local wood-firing kiln, the Hanbao Kiln in Xihu Township, which produces pottery, is over 30 years old. This kiln inspired the development of other wood firing kilns in the area. The Chunan Snake Kiln began promoting the wood-firing kiln itself after a documentary about the kiln was shot in 1994. Among 140 wood-firing kilns spread throughout Taiwan today, Miaoli County is home to about 40, making it Taiwan’s No. 1 county in terms of density for this type of kiln. Next to his huge Chunan Snake Kiln, Lin Rui-hua has also built the Huashi Kiln, the Ruyideng Kiln, the Wenhua Kiln and the Baoping Kiln to provide enthusiasts with places to fire their artistic creations, which have been displayed in the exhibitions held regularly by the Miaoli County Wood Fired Kilns Creativity Association, which was established four years ago. Meanwhile, the Ketao Kiln in Gongguan Township has six chambers, making it the biggest wood-fired kiln in the area. Sculptor Chen Shi-zheng, who hails from the county’s Toufen Township, has even built a small wood-fired kiln for his own use, saying that the combination of sculpture and wood firing has brought his works of art to another level of beauty. Chen’s kiln has a square-shaped chimney, making the whole structure look a bit like a locomotive, and therefore he has given it the name Taiche Kiln, literally “Taiwanese train kiln” in Chinese. Lin Rui-hua says that glaze is not applied to items fired in wood-fired kilns, which sets them apart from those fired in other kilns. Rather, it is the ash from the wood that settles onto the body of the items being fired and then at high temperatures turns into a glaze itself, creating a beautiful and natural texture to the item. For years, Yingge has been generally cited as northern Taiwan’s ceramic arts center, with Nantou being the center for southern Taiwan. In fact, each of the 18 townships or cities in Miaoli either has a kiln that can be used to produce wood-fired ceramics or has facilities to produce clay. The ceramics industry is spread throughout the county, and the quality of what is produced does not pale in comparison with that of Yingge or Nantou. For this reason, Miaoli should be reckoned as the third ceramics center of Taiwan.