Zhu Nan Snake Kiln Ancient Kiln Ecological Museum Introduction
When one hears about snake kilns, it's easy to associate them with snakes and mistakenly believe that their shape is curved. In fact, snake kilns are elongated with no divisions in the middle. In Taiwan's early days, these kilns could be found throughout various regions; they were ordinary kilns used for firing daily-use ceramics. Due to the difficulty of preservation, very few snake kilns remain in Taiwan today. The Zhunan Snake Kiln was established in 1972 and initially measured 23 meters in length, but currently, only 17 meters remain. It is one of the few well-preserved snake kilns in Taiwan and continues to produce ceramics today. Therefore, in 2001, it was selected as one of the National Historic Buildings by the Council for Cultural Affairs and has been registered as a historic building in Miaoli County, highlighting its value. Despite its traditional architecture, the management philosophy of the Zhunan Snake Kiln is anything but traditional. It integrates innovative ideas into the ancient techniques of pottery and kiln firing, transforming its role from a purely firing kiln to a promoter of traditional ceramic culture. The kiln owners are dedicated to teaching traditional pottery-making and regularly hold ceramic art exhibitions, passionately promoting ceramic art. By preserving traditional crafts while achieving remarkable expressions in modern art, the kiln embodies new life. It can be envisioned that with this new spirit injected, the art of kiln pottery will continue to thrive and be passed down sustainably in the future.
