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, has established the Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop, which combines art and creative design to produce a series of bamboo products including tea sets, business card holders, photo frames, and more. These bamboo crafts have entered daily life, and the personalized bamboo chopsticks, which can be engraved with names, are the top-selling item, popular for both personal use and as gifts. ■ Diverse Product Development Liu Wen-huang graduated from National Culture University with a degree in animal husbandry, but he fell in love with bamboo art. Growing up in Zhushan Township, he spent every day surrounded by bamboo, naturally becoming skilled in the craft. After creating bamboo suitcases and trays on his own, Liu began to make his mark. Despite operating at a loss for the first twelve years, Liu remained committed to his vision, relentlessly pursuing research and development, and launching a variety of bamboo art pieces that combine practicality, creativity, and aesthetic craftsmanship. His brand, Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop, has gained recognition, winning numerous awards. While most bamboo manufacturers are market-oriented, Liu thought outside the box by diversifying his creative products to explore the market, insisting that as long as the products are good, there is no fear of lacking a market. Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop continues to develop bamboo products that fuse creativity and craftsmanship, integrating traditional Chinese mortise and tenon techniques to broaden the application of bamboo. It has received the Excellence Award for Living Crafts from the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute six times and has been selected for the Craft House, garnering favor from consumers and being exported to Japan, Europe, and the United States. ■ Ingenious Designs Earn Praise Liu Wen-huang's products are unique, all made from bamboo, including chopsticks, business card holders, classic picnic baskets, and treasure boxes. Recently, as consumers have increasingly favored eco-friendly chopsticks, the workshop launched a portable set of bamboo chopsticks and holders, packaged in an exquisite cotton bag, priced at NT$320 per pair, with an additional NT$50 for engraving names, attracting many customers for both personal use and generous gifts. The classic picnic basket is a complete tea set, easy to carry, and its design is filled with thoughtful details, priced at NT$18,800. There have been instances where Japanese tourists, visiting Taiwan, took a bus specifically to Zhushan to "treasure hunt" for a set. The bamboo tea box "Five Blessings Arrive" features five tea cups and aroma cups, along with a tea caddy, tea sea, and tea tray neatly arranged inside a small bamboo box, all constructed using traditional mortise and tenon joints and bamboo fasteners, showcasing the beauty of Taiwanese craftsmanship. ■ Establishment of the Dahe Bamboo Art Museum The bamboo treasure box represents another iconic piece, its appearance resembling a wooden box, yet it has no visible switches anywhere, challenging users to think creatively. Liu Wen-huang mentioned that technicians from Mercedes-Benz once visited the workshop, where he demonstrated a mysterious box created using physical structures aligned with gravity, allowing visitors to appreciate how bamboo art can interlock seamlessly without a single screw, leaving everyone in awe. Currently, Dahe Bamboo Art Workshop has eight directly-operated stores across Taiwan and has set up counters in major hotels and department stores. Liu Wen-huang has recently launched bamboo photo frames available in various sizes, with custom sizes also available upon request. At the end of 2006, the Dahe Bamboo Art Museum, covering an area of 150 ping, is set to open. Liu Wen-huang has transformed the lushness and desolation of Zhushan into limitless possibilities for bamboo art. (Photo and text derived from the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute)"
