Chungliao Village (中寮村) in Nantou County was the municipality hardest-hit by the 921 earthquake, but in the process of recovery and reconstruction, the mountain village has made a name for itself thanks to the efforts of a group of housewives working at the Chungliao Vegetable Dyeworks.
The dyeworks was set up in May 2000 by the Association of Community Activists as part of government rebuilding efforts.
Instructors from the Taiwan Handicraft Research Institute came to the village to show the villagers how to start a business with minimum capital investment, and residents found that the abundant trees, bushes and vegetables of their surroundings provided excellent raw materials from which to extract organic pigments.
The instructors first taught the villagers to recognize the various plants and pigments. They showed the villagers that a variety of colors could be extracted from onion skins, plum tree branches and sweet potato leaves, according to Yang Ching-yen, a social worker with the workshop.
She added that summer leaves and autumn leaves yield different colors and that different colors can also be extracted from acacia leaves in different seasons.
Yang said that there are currently 16 housewives working at the dyeworks and they have learned primitive methods of extracting pigments and dyeing fabrics.
The instructors have also taught the apprentices how to make handbags, handkerchiefs, scarves and decorative items from the fabrics they have dyed.
The beautiful hand-made silk handkerchiefs and scarves have become popular souvenirs at the Taiwan Handicraft Research Institute display centers in Taipei and Nantou, according to Yang.
The social worker said that by learning dyeing techniques, the Chungliao housewives are now able to earn their own living instead of having to rely on relief money.
The dyeworks has enjoyed rising revenues in recent months and now sets aside 10 percent of its revenue every month to support the Chungliao Women's Development Fund, said Chung.
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