Eighty-five-year-old Hsu Huang-yen (許煌烟), known for making intricate building miniatures out of toothpicks in bottles, on Saturday announced that he would not take any more large-scale projects after finishing a model of the 85 Sky Tower in Kaohsiung.
Hsu said he fell ill last year and had not recovered until the middle of this year.
The illness had a profound impact on him, as he could no longer keep his hands steady when working on the replicas.
Photo: Liu Pin-chuan, Taipei Times
“I have made so many renditions of Taipei 101, and it occurred to me that I have never considered making a miniature model of the 85 Sky Tower,” Hsu said, adding that, to his knowledge, nobody else has made the attempt either.
Completing the 85 Sky Tower miniature earlier this year, when he turned 85, was a significant milestone for him, he said, adding that he would retire from the craft, making the piece his last large-scale project.
The piece first went on display alongside a replica of Taipei 101 at the Wenwu Temple (文武廟) at Nantou County’s Sun Moon Lake (日月潭).
Photo: Liu Pin-chuan, Taipei Times
“I learned the craft on my own,” said Hsu, who had been involved in the design of tunnels at Nantou’s Mingtan (明潭) hydroelectric power plant.
He has been drawing from that experience when creating the miniatures, Hsu added.
He never parts with any of his works, regardless of the price offered, Hsu said, adding that all his creations are on display at his workshop in the county’s Yuchih Township (魚池).
Hsu said he welcomed visitors to his collection, joking that he would not charge them.
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