aeeble

"Keeping pace with the times, bamboo craft is anything but lonely. In Zhushan, Nantou County, bamboo artist Liu Wen-huang founded Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop, blending art and creative design to produce a full line of bamboo goods—tea tote sets, business-card cases, picture frames—bringing bamboo craft into everyday life. The runaway favorite: personalized chopsticks that can be laser-etched with any name, perfect for personal use or as gifts. ■ Diversified development of creative products Bamboo artist Liu Wen-huang graduated from Chinese Culture University’s Department of Animal Husbandry, yet fell in love with bamboo. Growing up in Zhushan, he lived among bamboo every day and became a natural master. After hand-crafting a bamboo suitcase and bamboo serving trays, he set out to conquer the market. The first twelve years ran at a loss, but Liu never wavered. Relying on sheer stubbornness, he kept researching and launched a stream of bamboo works that combine utility, creativity, and aesthetic craft, winning awards every year and making the Dahe brand famous. While most bamboo firms chase the market, Liu thinks in reverse: diversify the product line and the market will follow. He insists that as long as the product is good, buyers will come. Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop keeps developing innovative bamboo pieces, incorporating traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon joinery to expand the uses of bamboo. The workshop has been named “Best Living Craft” six times by the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute and was selected as a “Craftsman’s Home.” Its products are beloved by consumers and exported to Japan, Europe, and the United States. ■ Clever ideas that win admiration All of Liu Wen-huang’s designs are made entirely of bamboo: chopsticks, business-card cases, classic picnic baskets, treasure boxes. With eco-chopsticks now in vogue, the shop offers take-out bamboo chopsticks-and-rest sets in refined cotton pouches—NT$320 a pair, NT$50 extra for name engraving—attracting hordes of buyers for everyday use or as gifts. The classic picnic basket is a full tea set, portable and full of thoughtful touches, priced at NT$18,800; a Japanese visitor once rode a bus all the way to Zhushan just to buy one. The “Five Blessings” tea box fits five cups and five aroma cups, plus scoop, fairness pitcher, and drip tray inside a tiny bamboo chest—no nails or metal clasps, only traditional joinery and bamboo pegs, showcasing the beauty of Taiwanese craftsmanship. ■ Building the Dahe Bamboo Art Museum Another signature piece is the bamboo treasure chest: outwardly a plain wooden-looking box, yet with no visible latch on any side, forcing users to “think outside the box.” Liu says Mercedes-Benz once sent technicians to tour the workshop; he showed them a puzzle box that relies on physics and gravity alone. Seeing bamboo hold a box shut without a single screw—and with millimeter precision—the visitors were stunned. Today Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop has eight direct-sale stores across Taiwan and counters in major hotels and department stores. Liu has just launched bamboo picture frames in every size, custom orders welcome. At the end of next year a 150-píng Dahe Bamboo Art Museum will open its doors. Through Zhushan’s rise and fall, Liu Wen-huang has given bamboo craft infinite possibilities. (Text & photos courtesy of National Taiwan Craft Research Institute)"