In his quest to impress his wife with his talent, 71-year-old handyman Lee Wen-tsang (李文滄) unwittingly turned his wife’s barbershop in Chiayi County’s Budai Township (布袋) into a community landmark.
The barbershop, owned by Lee’s 65-year-old wife, who asked not to be named, has over 45 years done brisk business in the alley leading to Budai’s Guogou Jiande Temple (過溝建德宮), before being redecorated this year with Lee’s bamboo handiwork.
Lee said last year he volunteered to build a roofed garden with bamboo struts for flowers and greenery to improve the appearance of the shop, which he thought looked somewhat dilapidated.
Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times
Pleased with the result, Lee’s wife further requested that he refurbish the entire building.
“She asked me to ‘pretty it up real nice,’ just for her,” Lee said.
Lee is a plumber and electrician, but about 10 years ago, his father-in-law introduced him to bamboo stalk handicrafts, he said, adding that he began building garden pavilions and scale models out of bamboo as a hobby.
After promising to refurbish the barbershop, Lee built a fence and flower bed, and refurnished the doors and window frames with bamboo, he said, adding that the finishing touches should be completed just in time to present to his wife as a new year’s gift.
The structural work required more than 3,000 screws to hold together, and was made out of 1,000 bamboo stalks that Lee salvaged from abandoned oyster farms and cut into shape.
“Bamboo stalks have to be soaked in saltwater so that they do not split,” Lee said.
The extensively refurbished barbershop has proven to be a hit in the community, as well as among worshipers and tourists visiting the temple, who often pause to snap pictures.
Lee’s wife said that she is pleased with what he has done with the barbershop.
“My man’s hands have got skills,” she said.
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