The entire nation would no doubt agree how nice it would be to forget about SARS, but the spread of the epidemic has made such thinking impossible. This was all too apparent yesterday, with the start of the annual Sanyi Woodcarving Festival (三義木雕節).
Local woodcarvers demonstrated the techniques that have established them as possibly the finest woodcarvers in the world -- capable of creating detailed, predominantly Buddhism-related sculptures from the trunks of camphor trees within minutes. Art store proprietors opened their doors early, their shelves filled with wooden art of all shapes, sizes and forms, all hoping for brisk business on this festive day. The atmosphere might have been cordial, but there were few smiles. The faces of many of those who turned out to participate in and enjoy the day's events and activities were securely hidden behind the now almost obligatory surgical masks.
Now in its third year, the nine-day festival is organized in conjunction with the Miaoli County Government (
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
For both the artists and art shop owners alike, it was hoped that this year's festival would prove a vital boost to business already hard hit by the economic turndown.
"Until about two years ago business was booming. Even on weekdays we'd see tourists coming here from not only Taiwan, but other counties in Asia and beyond," said gallery proprietor, Hsu Bi-hsiang (
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
"With the economic situation and now SARS, the number of tourists coming here is pretty low. I only hope that for a few days at least, people can simply enjoy themselves."
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Located in a valley nestled between Huoyin (
So abundant are the wood carving factories and workshops in the area that the aroma of camphor hangs in the air and is detectable long before you reach the town. Even through a sturdy N95 surgical mask the pungent woody odor is unavoidable.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Historical records, along with artifacts unearthed in the surrounding hillsides, point to a tradition of woodcarving that dates back over 400 years. Local Aborigines were the first to use the gnarled trunks and roots of local camphor trees as a medium for religious icons and cultural artworks.
Attracting art
Although the town has been a magnet for art students keen to learn the art of woodcarving from the 1920s onwards, it wasn't until the 1970s that the town's woodcarving tradition went global. Works by well-known Sanyi based woodcarvers began to find their way into Taipei galleries and in turn onto the international market.
"I came here 17 years ago when the town was a sleepy little backwater. The artists were few in number, but those who were here were deadly serious about their work," said Sanyi-based artist and Chiayi native, Chen Yi-lang (
"Tourism certainly wasn't the reason we based ourselves here. We were here to learn, the growth of the town as a tourist destination was something that just happened to explode around us."
In the mid-1990s a plot of land on a hillside south of Sanyi town proper was designated as a development site for a "tourist friendly zone." Unlike the low-lying town center, the location offered vistas of lush tea plantations and the surrounding mountains.
To complement this development the town was officially designated the national center of the woodcarving industry by the government in the mid-1990s. By the time the area's centerpiece, the Sanyi Museum of Wood Sculpture (三義木雕博物館) opened its doors in 1995, the town was not only attracting thousands of visitors yearly, but was also attracting internationally acclaimed artists including Ju Ming (朱銘), who temporally based himself out of the town.
"The museum was a great boost to the town, as it offered a place from which local artists could promote both their individual works as well as giving the town a platform from which to exhibit its long cultural heritage," said Chang Ming-huey (
Known as Kuangsheng Village (
"I figured that if the town was to prosper from its woodcarving tradition it needed a clean and spacious environment in which to do so," said the mayor. "Sure, there was nothing wrong with the town itself, but we simply decided to centralize the tourist district."
Although controversial when the proposal was first made (there was talk of local woodcarvers fearing an influx of out-of-towners taking over) the completion of the 150m long plaza-styled strip has proven a huge tourist draw. According to statistics recorded by museum staff, upwards of 100,000 people now trudge up and down the street ever year.
As one of the out-of-towners so feared by native Sanyi woodcarvers, Chen has never met with any animosity and believes talk of such action has been blown out of all proportion.
Now based out of one of the Kuangsheng workshops, Chen reckons that the development has not only led to greater recognition for the town, but that it has vastly improved the environment.
"It was dirty, dusty and as the town is situated a stone's throw from the freeway it was quite an ugly place, with few if any amenities for tourists," said the Chiayi native. "As everything is now in one place the development has certainly made the area more appealing to and convenient for day-trippers."
Rough with the smooth
Others, however, are still peeved at the development. For people such as Chiu Yu-rong (
"For recognition, sure, the development was a good thing. People around Taiwan all know know about Sanyi and its woodcarving heritage. On the personal level, however, it has hurt my business," Chiu said. "Tourists rarely venture down this way anymore. I mean, look at the area, there's a huge road, dust, noise. Nothing nice for tourists to look at."
Though he has misgivings about the town's tourist street, Chiu's misgivings do not stretch to the annual festival itself. Like many of the local woodcarvers who still ply their trade in the corrugated iron roofed and run down workshops scattered throughout the town, he sees the festival as a great opportunity for the town to shine on both a national and an international stage.
"Regardless of my feelings towards Kuangsheng, the festival is the one time of the year when Sanyi can be in the spotlight and its woodcarving heritage is celebrated in a manner I feel it warrants," said the artist. "We do have something unique here and it deserves recognition both at home and abroad."
Despite wariness that native Taiwanese out-of-towners might take over, recent years have seen an invasion of Chinese woodcarvings upping the ante. The number of stores now packing their shelves with cheaper carvings from China, whilst keeping locally made and more expensive items to a minimum, has increased dramatically.
"I have to admit that I sell a lot more of the Chinese-made carvings than local ones. There's quite a big price difference you see," Hsu said. "While collectors for whom money is no object continue to purchase the genuine article, tourists are more drawn to the cheaper pieces from China these days."
Ironically enough it was the Sanyi woodcarvers themselves who triggered this invasion. According to Chen, local artists began traveling to China in large numbers in 1977 in order to teach their cross-strait counterparts the art of woodcarving.
"It's a shame, but then business is business and artists in China were willing to pay good prices for lessons in woodcarving from Sanyi woodcarvers," Chen said. "Although cheaper than works by local artists, the quality and detail is not there and, of course, they don't use camphor, they use plain non-aromatic woods. There's a big difference and I'm certainly not worried about Chinese artists poaching my trade."
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