The first domestically produced violin using Taiwania wood was highlighted at a presentation on Friday inviting artisans to use artificially grown Taiwania cryptomerioides for their furniture and goods.
The violin is the brainchild of Long Way (龍暐), an assistant professor from the Department of Wood Science and Design at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, and violin maker Huang Sheng-yan (黃聖彥).
Huang said he hatched the idea after visiting Japan, where he learned that the Japanese make violins from the Japanese cherry tree.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
It was very interesting to learn that while the sound was “darker” for violins made with cherry wood, the Japanese compensated by adjusting the column and bridge, as well as changing the paint used, Huang said.
Huang opted to use Taiwania wood for the soundboard of the violin, while selecting camphor wood for the backboard, he said, adding that he used aged wood in both instances.
The result is a violin with sufficient brightness of tone and volume, and with no delay in its transmission of sound, Huang said.
The violins are being made available to students first, Long said, adding that he hopes the sound of the Taiwania violin will eventually meet with the approval of career musicians.
Compared with the Japanese luthiers’ history of using cherry wood, violins made from Taiwania wood are in their infancy, Huang said, adding that he is confident they will offer great sounds.
The Forestry Research Institute’s efforts to develop a diverse, artificial source of wood and lumber were commendable, Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) said.
A display of the products is scheduled to run until July 15 at the Taipei Botanical Garden.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
RSS