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Yeh Chi-hsiang is one of the few young bamboo-carving artists in Taiwan. As a child, he watched the traditional bamboo-processing factory run by his family decline from prosperity to near extinction, yet instead of abandoning bamboo, he chose to open a new chapter in bamboo carving. While studying industrial arts at Zhushan Senior High School, he fell in love with bamboo carving and often traveled to Taichung to learn from masters. Immediately after military service he set up a studio and, under the guidance of renowned master Chen Ming-tang, his works quickly gained recognition in craft circles. ■Finding inspiration from life, turning inspiration into life With an intimate knowledge of bamboo material, Yeh brings a distinctive vision to his carving. Whereas past masters usually carved a variety of expressions on the naturally “face-shaped” nodes of “human-face” bamboo, Yeh boldly hollows out the nodal “face,” using openwork to create playful figures singing at the top of their lungs. Named the “Human World” series, these pieces have won high acclaim. Yeh is also noted for his lotus compositions, meticulously rendering insects, birds, frogs, and more. All these distinctive works, he says, come from observations of rural life. After nearly two decades of bamboo carving, his achievements are plain to see. Yet, having witnessed the rise and fall of the bamboo industry, Yeh feels there are too few bamboo-carving artists in Taiwan to form a critical mass, and the general public remains unfamiliar with the craft. Therefore, after establishing himself in bamboo art, he has turned in recent years to lifestyle crafts, combining simple lines with bamboo’s unique texture to create pieces that are both decorative and functional. Only by making bamboo crafts part of daily life, he stresses, can the public grow close to them, learn to appreciate them, and ultimately elevate the art of bamboo carving. To pass on the craft, Yeh now teaches in bamboo-carving classes organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau. Perhaps because of his high standards, his basic courses often scare many away; he has therefore shifted his approach to spark students’ interest first. Cultivating a group of people who can appreciate bamboo art, he says, is a more realistic first step toward engaging them in creation. (Text and photos courtesy of the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute)