Liou Wen-Huang's Crafts Home Introduction
"Keeping up with the times, bamboo crafts are not lonely. Liu Wen-Huang, a bamboo artisan from Zhushan Township, Nantou County, established the Dahe Bamboo Craft Workshop, combining art and creative design to produce a series of bamboo products such as tea sets, business card holders, and photo frames, bringing bamboo craftsmanship into daily life. Personalized bamboo chopsticks, which can be engraved with names, are particularly popular and well-received for personal use or gift-giving. ■ Diverse Development of Creative Products Liu Wen-Huang graduated from the Animal Science Department at National Culture University but fell in love with bamboo crafts. Growing up in Zhushan Township, he was surrounded by bamboo and naturally became skilled at working with it. After creating bamboo suitcases and trays, he began to expand his business. Despite losing money in the first twelve years, Liu remained undeterred and continued to invest in research and development, launching a variety of practical, creative, and aesthetically pleasing bamboo products that have won numerous awards, establishing the Dahe Bamboo Craft Workshop brand. While most bamboo manufacturers are market-oriented, Liu took a different approach by diversifying his product line to create market opportunities, maintaining that good products will find their market. The Dahe Bamboo Craft Workshop continuously develops bamboo products that are both creative and artisanal, incorporating traditional Chinese mortise-and-tenon techniques, allowing for more versatile uses of bamboo. It has received the Outstanding Award for Living Crafts from the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute six times and has also been selected as a Craft Home, winning widespread favor from consumers while exporting to markets in Japan, Europe, and the United States. ■ Creative Ingenuity Wins Praise The products designed by Liu Wen-Huang are unique, made entirely of bamboo, ranging from chopsticks, business card holders, classic baskets, to treasure boxes. Recently, in response to consumer preference for eco-friendly chopsticks, the workshop launched take-out bamboo chopsticks and chopstick holders, complete with high-quality cotton bags, sold at NT$320 for a pair, with an additional NT$50 for name engraving, attracting many customers for both personal use and gifts. The classic basket is a complete tea set that is easy to carry, featuring thoughtful design details, priced at NT$18,800. A Japanese visitor once traveled specifically by bus to Zhushan to buy a set. The bamboo tea box, named "Five Blessings Come," contains five teacups and five aroma cups, along with a tea scoop, tea pitcher, and tray, all constructed without screws or metal fittings, using traditional mortise-and-tenon joints and bamboo fasteners, showcasing the beauty of Taiwanese craftsmanship. ■ Establishing the Dahe Bamboo Craft Museum The bamboo treasure box is another signature work, its appearance indistinguishable from a wooden box, yet it has no visible openings, challenging users to "think outside the box." Liu mentioned that technicians from Mercedes-Benz had visited his workshop, where he demonstrated the ingenious box made using physical structure and gravity, which astounded the visitors as they realized that the bamboo craft could lock the treasure box securely without a single screw, creating a perfect fit. Currently, the Dahe Bamboo Craft Workshop operates eight directly managed stores across Taiwan and has set up counters in major hotels and department stores. Recently, Liu also introduced bamboo photo frames in various sizes, customized to individual needs. The 150-ping Dahe Bamboo Craft Museum is set to open by the end of 2006. Having witnessed the highs and lows of Zhushan, Liu Wen-Huang has unlocked infinite possibilities for bamboo craftsmanship."
