De Shun Paper Mache Folk Art Introduction
At the border between Changzhi and Pingtung City, there is a large temple known locally as the "Burnt Big Temple," which was set on fire during the Liu Dui Uprising period. Near the temple, there is a family that specializes in making paper houses, called De Shun. The paper mache making began with Qiu De Shun, and locals and regular customers affectionately refer to him as "De Shun Zi." Typically, Hakka paper mache artisans also perform traditional music, especially playing the suona. In the past, anyone who played the suona also made paper mache, but this is no longer the case; however, it is still regarded as one. If a suona master is invited who cannot make paper mache, they will still be asked to buy it for them. Min Nan suona masters do not make paper mache; instead, it is done by the shifu (master). Qiu Fengming and Qiu Fenglin began helping their father with simple paper mache tasks around the age of ten, and it was only after their father passed away that Qiu Fengming started learning to play the suona. The craftsmanship has been cultivated since childhood and, after Qiu De Shun's passing, was passed on to brothers Qiu Fengming and Qiu Fenglin. The family's experience in paper mache dates back about fifty years, and their father passed away two years prior. Qiu Fenglin mentioned that their mother didn't marry in until ten years after their father started making paper mache. In the past, Gangshan was the stronghold for paper mache making. When they first started the business, their father hired skilled artisans from Gangshan to teach them at home intermittently for two to three years. When they graduated from junior high, their father asked them if they wanted to continue the paper mache craft and if they were serious, he would send them to Gangshan for three years and four months as apprentices. In the earlier days of their father's time, designs were manually drawn, but later on, printed materials became more common, only requiring cutting and pasting. The De Shun paper mache shop primarily creates flat-style paper houses, usually either three-room or five-room. To create larger houses, they add more floors to make it a western-style house; however, Hakka people are frugal and rarely order a western-style house. A three-room house can be completed in eight hours, while a five-room house takes longer, with the skeleton alone taking a day and a half, and the entire top taking two days to finish. The center of the paper house is the main hall, extending outwards, with the left side being the master bedroom and bathroom, and the right side being the servant's room and servant's bathroom. The eaves of the paper house must have an even number of lines; a three-room house has sixteen eaves, while a five-room house has twenty-two. The materials are sourced from Taichung, Tainan, and Fengshan, with varying quality of prints; the brothers have their preferred suppliers. The size of the paper houses must conform to specific measurements: the three-room house is 4.2 feet, and the five-room house is 5.8 feet. They still use their father's measuring stick, which has markings based on these measurements, alongside an old small knife, which they continue to use to honor their father's legacy. The key to making paper houses lies in getting the skeleton and the pasted paper aligned and flat, without being crooked or raised, which requires long-term experience. The skeleton is made from bamboo strips, with about eighty pieces of bamboo making two paper houses; three-room houses generally use thinner bamboo strips, while five-room houses use thicker ones. Getting pricked by bamboo fibers is common during the process. The skeleton of the paper house is tied and fixed together with rolled-up plastic sheeting, whereas previously they used paper rolled into thin strips known as paper nails. The four vertical supports are made from thicker bamboo strips while the rest are thinner. The brothers state that the roof is the most difficult part to construct. After the skeleton is completed, flower paper is pasted on, along with large and small windows and the floor, all specified with designated patterns and must be attached accurately. When the paper is first pasted, it may appear uneven, but Qiu Fenglin says it will flatten out as it dries. The old methods have also progressed; the brothers recall seeing their father develop rashes due to long-term use of chemical paste, so they now make their adhesive using flour, cornstarch, and alum for preservation, keeping it wrapped in cling film to prevent it from drying out. Nowadays, some people no longer use pasting and have started using nail guns, which are faster, but the brothers believe that they cannot fully replace the stability of using paper nails and hand pasting. There are even printed materials folded into entire paper houses, but they are too flat and not favored by the market. The brothers note that each family has different schools of craftsmanship, and the variations can be detected in the details. Small plastic figures are made as “house servants,” which are glued in front of the finished paper house doors—two for a three-room house and four to six for a five-room house. Min Nan people prefer having more house servants for a grander appearance; Qiu Fenglin mentioned that some Hakka people even ask if the house servants can be removed, as hiring servants costs more money, and the younger generation worries that the paper money burned for deceased ancestors may be insufficient. Additionally, Min Nan people commonly use golden boys and jade girls, while Hakka people use gold and silver mountains instead. In the past, there were no cars, and people relied on their legs for transportation; only better-off families had palanquins, so naturally, the travel tools burned for the deceased were also palanquins. Inside paper palanquins, a figurine would be placed to symbolize the deceased, as a figurine would also be placed inside the completed paper house, indicating that the owner has moved in. The deceased are represented by various images, depending on their age and gender; older individuals would have a squire or a grandmother, while those who passed away young would have boy and girl figurines. Paper suitcases are used for clothing; earlier, they were hand-painted, cut, and pasted, and they could hold real handmade clothing made of fabric. Nowadays, they use printed materials folded along guidelines, with clothes also printed. Some customers no longer even use suitcases. Qiu Fengming shares that today's paper palanquins are made grand and luxurious, with large storage space, practically rendering a suitcase unnecessary. Qiu Fengming recalls that their father would paste the seven-star bridge used in temple festivals. Additionally, their father would measure caskets at mourning homes and create an object called a "casket surround" on site. Because paper is fragile, it can only be made on the spot. The purpose of the casket surround is that in the past, coffins were manually carried, and prolonged exposure was considered disrespectful to the deceased, leading passerby to feel unlucky, so a casket surround was placed over the coffin. Over time, paper casket surrounds gradually gave way to fabric curtains, and now that coffins are often transported in long limousines, casket surrounds have become obsolete. Burning paper is to be reborn. The paper mache industry does not have distinct peak or off-peak seasons; generally, there are more deceased individuals before the Lunar New Year, as the saying goes, “You can’t celebrate the New Year for the dead,” which may also be due to the cold weather. Qiu Fengming states that, besides being used during funerals, another peak season is Tomb-Sweeping Day (Qingming Festival). There are also regular orders; he mentioned that a customer once approached him and claimed that a stranger’s spirit had visited them in a dream, stating that they had no house to live in, or that their house was leaking and being encroached upon, so the living agreed to fulfill the deceased's wish by burning a house for them. People alive prioritize ownership of things, and ancestors in another world are no different. Each paper house comes with a deed stating the identity of the owner. This clear record ensures that the underworld is also peaceful and free of disputes. The evening before burning the paper house,
