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`Made in Taiwan' and proud of it

By Vico Lee
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Jun 14, 2003, Page 16

The large-scale import of inexpensive wood carvings from China and Southeast Asian countries over the past decade has made the lives of Taiwanese wood carvers difficult.

In Sanyi (三義), the country's wood carving capital, some 80 percent of available wood carvings are imported, mainly from China and Vietnam. The majority of these are mass-manufactured articles with traditional themes, like Buddha statues, and imitations of works by Taiwanese wood carving masters.

To differentiate between original Taiwanese wood carvings and the often mass produced versions on the market, the Taiwan Wood-carving Association (台灣木雕協會) -- a Sanyi-based organization set up last November -- launched a wood carving certification system in December. Inspired by similar systems in Japan and South Korea, the association intends that the certificates will preserve the honor of Taiwanese wood carvers and giving their works extra value in a market inundated by low priced imports.

Wood carvings made in Taiwan range from several thousand NT dollars to several million, with most works costing from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000. A busy wood carver can earn around NT$2,000 a day. Chinese wood carvers typically earn 30 times less than this (around NT$67).

"A country's wood carvings gradually evolve from handicraft level to the level of art. Chinese wood carvings are still at the handicraft stage. What we see on the market are mostly factory-manufactured products. However, their low prices have caused Taiwanese wood carvers to suffer economically," said Yang Yung-tzai (楊永在), chief executive of the Taiwan Wood Carving Association (TWCA).

"Over the past decade, many local wood carvers have gone to China and set up factories there producing handicraft-level works. Those who did not go learned to refine their craft into works of art," Yang said.

There is also a large number of wood carvings of dubious origin sold at retail stores. Yang said that some of these are commissioned by local wood carvers to be produced by factories in China, while others are unauthorized Chinese imitations of works by popular local artists. One wood carver even submitted a Chinese-made work to participate in the National Literature and Art Achievement Award (國家文藝獎), but was, fortunately, found out in time.

To help combat the problem of fakes, certificates of authenticity for wood carving works have been introduced by the TWCA to show that the works were made in the country, from start to finish, by a Taiwanese artist. They also detail the materials used. Though a neglected aspect for collectors, materials are important for pricing a work. Taiwanese beech timber, for example, is 20 times the price of its Vietnamese or Laotian counterparts.

Faking it

In the past, the only proof of a wood carving's authenticity were privately printed certificates that some stores and artists attached to the works. The most widespread device to prove that a carving is genuine, however, is the autograph, which, Yang said, can easily be faked.

To get a certificate of authenticity, judges and wood craftsmen at TWCA examine the carving styles, techniques and "artistic spirit," to determine whether or not the work was made abroad. A copy of the certificate is kept at the association's office for the reference of doubtful buyers. The association has issued 200 certificates so far, each costing the creator NT$600. There is no refund for failed applications and less than 2 percent of applications fail to gain certification.

Shen Pei-tze (沈培澤) , a wood carver who runs his own workshop in Sanyi has had six works certificated at the request of buyers. "I think certification is a positive development. People working on creative things develop a certain style of their own. Those who like your style collect your works. But wood carvings, like paintings, can be replicated. When a wood carver gets famous for, say, carving Buddha in a certain way, others soon start making Buddhas in the same style," Shen said.

"I used to give my buyers a certificate I made and I always carved my autograph on the works. But these can still be copied. Having a third party certificate for my works is a much better solution."

Others are not so sure. Lin Chin-chang (林進昌), also a wood carver in Sanyi who runs his own workshop, has not applied for any certificates for his works. "I don't think the certificate is necessary. For the buyers of my works, my autograph is enough," Lin said. "If someone can fake my works and my autograph, they can probably fool the certification council as well. How can you be sure that a piece of work with the certificate is 100 percent authentic? Who can promise that?"

For genuine artists, Lin went on, the best guarantee is the artists themselves. "If a wood carver has an unmistakable style, his or her name naturally becomes a brand, like Ju Ming (朱銘) in the sculpture circle. People recognize that brand."

Like most Sanyi wood carvers, Lin sells his works directly to collectors. So far, they have not required certificates from Lin. "I have been making wood carvings for over a decade, but the association has been around for less than a year. I think I am in a better position to guarantee my works."

Making it

Lin said there had been no disputes regarding the authenticity of his works so far.

Other well known wood carvers have come up with different ways to prove the authenticity of their works to collectors. Huang Ma-ching (黃媽慶), one of the best known wood masters in Taiwan, sells his works either from his home studio in Changhua (彰化), or through exhibitions around the country. He has not applied for any certificates for his works, either.

"A wood carving that has been featured at exhibitions has few problems with establishing its authenticity. I have had no authenticity troubles so far," said Huang, who nevertheless admitted there is a large number of copies of his works on the market.

The application fee, Huang said, discouraged him from applying for a certificate. "My works do not cater to the market, so that usually out of 100 works I have done, I can only sell a few of them. The situation is even worse these days because of the recession. Certificates may be a good thing for more commercial wood carvings, but it makes little difference to me."

Despite the mixed response, Yang is intent on making the system last.

"When Chinese factories stamp `Made in Taiwan' on their wood products to raise their price, issuing the certificates is an act of self-help," Yang said. "Both mass manufactured products and art crafts need guarantees of their origin and authenticity.

"We chose to keep our roots in Taiwan when others sought development in China. [Last year,] before the government did anything about the economic crisis we are facing, we launched this system to help ourselves."

But, six months after the launch of the certification scheme, government authorities are catching up. The Council for Cultural Affairs (文建會) is working with the National Taiwan Craft Research Institute (國立台灣工藝研究所) on certification systems for other handicrafts.

The certificate for ceramic works is scheduled to be launched at the end of this year, according to Lu Chia-ching, chief executive of the Chinese Ceramic Association (中華民國陶藝協會). The certificate's logo is currently being designed and the two authorities will jointly issue certificates for works considered above standard quality.

Proving it

"Unlike wood carvings, the ceramic circle has seen few disputes over the origin of ceramic works, but there are confusing standards of quality. The certificate will mark those works deemed above standard quality," Lu said.

The TWCA, meanwhile, believes it is on to a good thing with the certification scheme, but needs to convince wood carving artists the idea is sound.

"What artists do not yet seem to understand is that this is a guarantee of their intellectual property rights. Collectors may not have doubts about the origin of their collection today, but a dispute may arise decades afterward. The wood carving circle needs to promote the protection of intellectual property rights," Yang said.
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