Colorful Lego building bricks — used to build imaginary cities, air force bases or fancy castles — are part of many people’s fond childhood memories.
Stephen Chao (趙子佑), a 27-year-old computer engineer, tried, but failed to let go of those memories. Giving full play to his childhood obsession, Chao has turned the small plastic parts into magical designs that have amazed the Lego world — and may have opened up a new avenue for promoting Taiwanese and Chinese culture.
“The bricks, their colors, are the magic that help me express the world I visualize in my head,” said Chao, who in August received one of the highest honors for thousands of local Lego fans — winning the largest contest ever held by the Lego Group in Taiwan.
Photo: Chiu Shao-wen, Taipei Times
Chao’s winning structure was a traditional temple fair, which he completed after spending more than a month collecting the Lego pieces needed and visiting temples around the country to talk to elderly people to get a better understanding of temple customs.
“It was not an easy task, but it was definitely rewarding,” he said of his first attempt to create a work based on Taiwan’s unique temple culture.
Chao managed to faithfully replicate the dragon pillars and exquisite wall paintings seen at many local temples using small bricks of different sizes, shapes and colors. He also incorporated shrines, red lanterns and even sausage vendors in the 40x40x45cm display.
The contest’s judges marveled at the detail of his work, Chao said, which cost him more than NT$11,000 to put together.
“Lego bricks are not toys for kids. They can be so much fun for both builders and viewers,” the Lego master said on his blog, which provides a platform for brick designers and fans to share their experiences.
As with many people, Chao began playing with Lego bricks when he was a child, building colorful castles with his friends.
He eventually decided to give them up because it was becoming an expensive hobby. He packed away the plastic blocks with other toys, determined to move on to more “grown-up” hobbies.
He could not seal away his passion, however, and it was rekindled in 2005, when he was watching a Japanese TV show that pit contestants building Lego brick structures.
“My dream castles, spectacular vessels and all the memories came flooding back,” he said.
Chao then took part-time jobs to support his interest and within a few years, he became a well-known architect in the world of fantasy.
In 2008, after exhibiting his masterpieces of medieval castles and villages at a show held at a miniature museum in Taipei, he was noticed by the Lego Group’s branch in Taiwan and invited to design a set of dragon boats to mark the Dragon Boat Festival.
A photograph of his boat — with its dramatic dragonhead, beards and a group of paddlers — was printed in brochures and posted on Lego’s design Web site as a model for users from around the world to aspire to.
Chao said the experience made him realize that the bricks could be a bridge between the East and the West.
“Westerners have a chance of appreciating Chinese art through Lego brick [structures],” he said.
“I will focus more on building Eastern-themed structures in the future,” he added.
Among the subjects he intends to tackle: Beijing’s Old Summer Palace, a noted emperor’s summer palace built in the 18th century, and West Lake (西湖), a popular resort area in Hangzhou, China.
Although Chao holds a full-time job, he is more excited about pursuing his hobby than building a professional career.
“I dream to own my kingdom now,” he said, ready to find more magic in the tiny plastic bricks that have allowed him fulfill his dreams with imagination.
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