Liou Wun-Huang's Craft House Introduction
"Keeping up with the times, bamboo craftsmanship remains vibrant. Liu Wen-Huang, a bamboo artisan from Zhushan Township in Nantou County, established Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop, integrating art and creative design to produce a series of bamboo products including tea sets, business card boxes, and photo frames, allowing bamboo crafts to enter everyday life. Personalized bamboo chopsticks, which can be engraved with names, have become the most popular item, well-received both for personal use and as gifts. Liu Wen-Huang, a graduate of the Animal Science Department of National Taipei University of Arts, fell in love with bamboo art despite his educational background. Growing up in Zhushan Township and being surrounded by bamboo every day naturally made him a skilled artisan. After creating bamboo handbags and trays, he began making a name for himself. Although he suffered losses during the first twelve years of operation, Liu Wen-Huang remained resolute, continually investing in research and development to launch various practical, creative, and aesthetically pleasing bamboo artworks. His efforts have won numerous awards and established the brand of Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop. While most bamboo manufacturers are market-driven, Liu Wen-Huang adopted a reverse approach, exploring market expansion through diversified product creation, firmly believing that as long as the products are good, there will be no fear of lacking a market. Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop continuously develops creative and artisanal bamboo products, incorporating traditional Chinese mortise and tenon techniques, allowing for more diverse applications of bamboo. The workshop has won the Excellence Award for Craftsmanship from the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute six times and has been recognized as a Craft Home, gaining popularity among consumers and exporting to markets in Japan, Europe, and the United States. The products designed by Liu Wen-Huang are unique, made entirely from bamboo, ranging from chopsticks, business card boxes, classic baskets to treasure boxes. Recently, with the growing consumer interest in eco-friendly chopsticks, the workshop launched portable bamboo chopsticks and chopstick holder sets, presented in exquisite cotton bags, selling for NT$320, with an additional NT$50 for engraving names. This has attracted many consumers for both personal use and generous gifting. The classic basket is a complete tea set that is convenient to carry, featuring thoughtful design elements priced at NT$18,800. There have been instances where Japanese tourists came specifically to Zhushan to "treasure hunt" and bought a set. The bamboo tea box "Wu Fu Lin Men" contains five tea cups, five aroma cups, a tea scoop, a tea serving pitcher, and a tea tray, all crafted without nails or rings, only employing traditional mortise joints and bamboo fasteners, showcasing the beauty of Taiwanese craftsmanship. The bamboo treasure box is another representative work, resembling a wooden box, yet completely lacking visible switches, challenging users to think creatively. Liu Wen-Huang noted that a technician from Mercedes-Benz once visited the workshop, where he demonstrated a mysterious box made using physical structures in harmony with gravity, astonishing the visitors who marveled at how bamboo craftsmanship could achieve airtight sealing without a single screw. Currently, Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop operates eight directly managed stores across Taiwan and has also set up counters in major hotels and department stores. Recently, Liu Wen-Huang launched bamboo photo frames available in various sizes and customizable according to individual needs. By the end of 2006, the Dahe Bamboo Art Museum, occupying 150 pings, is set to be completed and opened. Having witnessed the rise and decline of Zhushan, Liu Wen-Huang gives bamboo craftsmanship infinite possibilities."
