A 19-year-old hobbyist who makes miniaturized versions of Taiwan’s dintao (陣頭) culture has unexpectedly created a trend with his exquisite craftsmanship, selling nearly 30 products within a year since he put his finished products online for display.
Dintao refers to the traditional temple performance troupes who accompany religious processions.
Tseng Han-kuei (曾翰魁), who lives in Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔), found a job in telecommunications soon after completing high school and said that miniaturized versions of temples and other models related to temples and dintao culture surrounding it was something he has always been interested in.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
“I used to go watch the performances in front of the temples when I was younger,” Tseng said.
Tseng said that his first attempt to make the models had been during arts and crafts class in junior-high school, adding that when he handed in a model of a villa, it received much praise from his teachers and friends.
After that experience, Tseng said he decided to start building a model of a temple, adding that he spent more than three months on the project, making trips to local temples to make sure that he has the right dimensions for the model.
After he completed the model, he put it in a dusty corner in the open for a time to make the product look a little “aged,” Tseng said, adding that this work even earned him praise from family members who had been against his making such models.
Tseng said that monks from nearby temples even conducted a ceremony for the miniature temple.
He uses leftover chopsticks, spare cloth, popsicle sticks and cardboard as his basic materials.
Tseng said that he sometimes also installs LED lights in the models.
Tseng’s models range from actual temples to the litters used to carry the deities and the little items in front of the litters, which are all set out in the courtyard of his house.
Tseng does not stop at modeling the larger things within the temples, but models vases, censers and even candle holders.
He has even remodeled remote-controlled cars he used to play with to make them fit in with the surroundings.
Many netizens who have seen his works said they are exquisite and that he paid great attention to detail.
Although some said that his actions border on the fanatical, Tseng himself said he was only using an alternative method to express civic belief.
“Every cut put to wood, every line drawn, represents my true love for the dintao culture,” Tseng said, adding that his work began as a simple hobby and he had not expected his models to help augment his income.
Tseng said that after his first sales, not only was he receiving orders from the public online, but temples have been ordering his products to display them.
He added that he hoped to continue to develop his hobby and interests and produce more intricate models of temples and other dintao-culture items.
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