Liu Wen-Huang Craft House Introduction
"Keeping up with the times, bamboo art is not lonely. Liu Wen-Huang, a bamboo artist from Zhushan Township, Nantou County, established the Da He Bamboo Workshop, which combines art and innovative design to create a series of bamboo products such as tea sets, business card holders, and photo frames. These bamboo crafts integrate into daily life, with personalized bamboo chopsticks being the most popular item, cherished both for personal use and as gifts. ■ Diverse Product Development Liu Wen-Huang graduated from the Animal Science Department of National Taipei University of Technology but fell in love with bamboo art. Growing up in Zhushan Township, he was surrounded by bamboo every day, naturally becoming skilled in its crafts. After self-creating bamboo suitcases and trays, he began to make his mark in the industry. Although he operated at a loss for the first twelve years, Liu persevered, driven by determination to continue research and development, launching a variety of practical, innovative, and aesthetically pleasing bamboo works. With continuous awards, the Da He Bamboo Workshop brand gained recognition. Unlike most bamboo factories that focus on market orientation, Liu thought in reverse, opening up the market with diverse creative products, insisting that good products will find a market. The Da He Bamboo Workshop continually develops bamboo products that combine creativity and craftsmanship, incorporating traditional Chinese mortise and tenon techniques, allowing for a more diverse use of bamboo. The workshop has won the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute's Outstanding Craft Award six times and has been selected as a Craft Home, gaining favor from consumers and exporting to markets in Japan, the United States, and Europe. ■ Ingenious Creativity Wins Praise Liu Wen-Huang’s products are unique, made entirely of bamboo, including chopsticks, business card holders, classic baskets, and treasure boxes. Recently, with the rise in popularity of eco-friendly chopsticks, the workshop launched a portable bamboo chopsticks and holder set, packaged in an exquisite cotton bag, priced at NT$320, with an additional NT$50 for personalized engraving, attracting many consumers for both personal use and as thoughtful gifts. The classic basket is a complete tea set that is easy to carry, with considerate design elements throughout, priced at NT$18,800. There have been instances where visitors from Japan came to Taiwan specifically to take a bus to Zhushan to "treasure hunt" and purchased a complete set. The bamboo tea box titled "Five Blessings Arrive" holds five tea cups and five aroma cups within a small bamboo box, along with a tea scoop, a tea sea, and a tea tray. It is constructed entirely without nails or metal fasteners, using traditional mortise and tenon joints and bamboo clasps to showcase the beauty of Taiwanese craftsmanship. ■ Establishing the Da He Bamboo Museum Another representative work is the bamboo treasure box, which visually resembles a wooden box, yet there are no switches visible on any side for users to figure out its mechanism. Liu shared that technicians from Mercedes-Benz Germany once visited the workshop, and he demonstrated the cleverly designed hidden box that uses physical structure and gravity. They were amazed that bamboo crafts could be seamlessly locked without a single screw, ensuring high precision, leaving everyone in awe. Today, the Da He Bamboo Workshop operates eight directly managed stores across Taiwan and has set up counters in major hotels and department stores. Recently, Liu introduced bamboo photo frames in various sizes, with custom options available per order. By the end of 2006, the Da He Bamboo Museum, occupying 150 ping, is set to open. Liu Wen-Huang has turned the once bustling yet now dwindling Zhushan into a place of infinite possibilities for bamboo art." (Text and images from the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute)
