Orin Cultural Studio Introduction
Shah Kuei-Hua moved to Jinfeng Township, Taitung at the age of 10 with her family. From a young age, she learned traditional skills such as weaving, embroidery, and sewing from her elders. Due to her parents' different ethnic backgrounds and class differences, she is well-versed in the cultures of the Paiwan and Rukai tribes. Initially, she was guided by teachers Li Yong-Ming, Wang Rong-Ming, and Wang Yu-Hsin during the pottery period. During that time, she participated in a bamboo weaving class at the Crafts Research Institute but never left pottery-making. In the early stages of her work, she used the traditional "coil method" to make pottery jars, which is very different from the modern pottery method of wheel-throwing, both in speed and technique. However, she still prefers to use the "coil method" for its familiarity, believing that traditional pottery jars hold much more significance compared to modern pottery. She was selected for the Indigenous Craft Award in 2001 for her innovative pottery jar works and won second place in the first Indigenous Pottery Award by China Motor Corporation in 2002. She has also served as a pottery instructor for short-term classes organized by the Taitung Indigenous Development Association, emerging as an outstanding talent cultivated within the community during the revival of pottery.
