Huangtu Mountain - Crafts Home Introduction
Bamboo Weaving National Treasure Master Huang Tushan began learning bamboo weaving at the age of 14. In his early twenties, he opened a bamboo processing factory, producing bamboo tote bags and baskets for domestic and international markets. Over the past 50 years, he has taught more than 1,000 students, nurturing countless talents in Taiwan's bamboo weaving industry, making him a living history of bamboo weaving in Taiwan. Master Huang Tushan, known for his diligence and simplicity, has his home and studio in Zhushan Township filled with bamboo weaving works and award records. Now in his eighties, he retired from the Provincial Handicrafts Research Institute more than a decade ago, and is regarded as a national treasure-level master craftsman. Reflecting on his journey with bamboo art, Huang Tushan recalls growing up in Zhushan, where over 13,000 acres of bamboo forest were cultivated during the Japanese occupation. The flexible bamboo skin and excellent material properties had long been widely used for making everyday utensils. After graduating from elementary school in the 13th year of the Showa era (1938), he spent three years learning bamboo crafts at the Bamboo Crafts Training Institute, laying the foundation for his bamboo art, followed by another year and a half learning coarser bamboo weaving techniques. Shortly after he was conscripted, World War II ended, and due to the returning Japanese military’s need for a large number of bamboo suitcases, Huang began engaging in bamboo product trading. In 1953, after receiving two months of technical training in Nantou, he was sent to teach at the Chiayi Craft Specialist Class, thus beginning his role in passing on bamboo craftsmanship. A year later, the Nantou County Government established a craft research class in Caotun, and Huang returned home to serve. At that time, it was the peak period for handicrafts, where he devoted himself to teaching bamboo art. After three years, he produced many outstanding students, including 50 indigenous people from Taitung and Hualien, who learned from each other and developed new products like bamboo flower vases and lamps. Since 1953, Huang has successively been responsible for product development at craft training centers in Chiayi, Nantou, Taichung, and Guanmiao, as well as at the Provincial Handicrafts Research Institute and Central Taiwan Crafts Promotion Center, while also collaborating with schools to teach bamboo processing techniques. He has made multiple trips abroad with farming teams to assist in guiding local bamboo technology. Huang Tushan’s bamboo weaving works are diverse, including traditional utensils, flower vases, fruit trays, and lacquered bamboo products. Even after retirement, he continues to create and pass on his skills, having been invited to exhibit several times. He also teaches at Zhushan High School and in the Handicrafts Research Institute’s Bamboo Weaving Craft Heritage Class and Talent Training Class, spreading his knowledge far and wide. Despite retiring, Huang remains active in working on a display museum. Having passed on bamboo art for decades, he has received both the National Award for the Transmission of Folk Arts and recognition as an important folk art master. His continued engagement in bamboo crafts stems from his belief that creating bamboo products is beneficial for health, pushing him to ensure that the traditional craft continues to be passed on. Huang believes that Taiwan is rich in bamboo culture, with bamboo present in various forms: from baby strollers, bamboo baskets, chopsticks, bamboo rafts, bamboo bridges, bamboo handles for brushes, to bamboo houses and beds, with bamboo shoots being a beloved food in every household. In a society with an intimate relationship with bamboo, there is a deep emotional bond, which inspires him continually in his creations. His greatest wish is for more people to appreciate bamboo art and carry on this craft that offers deep reflection, expanding its reach, and he plans to buy land to build a display museum to showcase the beauty of bamboo art created by masters like him. (Text and images from the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute)
