TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ting Hsin Hote Foundation (頂新和德文教基金會) hosted talks on Friday (Dec. 18) with Taiwanese and Malaysian experts, who demonstrated traditional crafts and discussed the importance of conservation and cultural heritage.
The "Forum on Cultural Heritage 2020, the Polyphony of Authenticity: The Conversation Between Traditional Architectural Crafts and Artifact" was held at Cheng Mei Cultural Park in Changhua County on Friday (Dec. 18). It featured displays of traditional craftwork by local craftsmen as well as art and wood carving workshops.
Those present at the event were able to witness some of the magnificent cooperative work that teams from both Taiwan and Malaysia have done to restore the traditional painting in Boon San Tong Khoo Kongsi (文山堂邱公司) in Penang,Malaysia. Malaysian expert Ooi Bok-kim (黃木錦) and National Taiwan University of Art Assistant Professor Shao Ching-wang (邵慶旺) shared their experience of the restoration process and offered tips on how to strike a balance between conservation and development when traditional buildings face urban conservation.
Chen Chun-yu (陳俊宇), Assistant Researcher of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Research Center, Lo Yu-Jui (羅又睿), winner of the Yulon (裕隆) Wood Carving Innovation Award, and Shih Shih-Tung (施世瞳), a religious statuary crafts artist, demonstrated traditional crafts on-site. Taiwan's "living treasure," Shih Chen-yang (施鎮洋), also introduced his restoration work.
During her workshop, Shieh Ya-xiu (謝雅秀), who is an entwining art craftsperson, showed participants the basic techniques of paper-cutting, twisting thread and shaping. Meanwhile, during the wood carving session, Shih Yi-wen (施懿紋), a third-generation descendant of the "Lu-Kang Woodcarving Clan" (鹿港木雕世家), explained wood carving techniques by making wooden pendants.
According to Ting Hsin Hote Foundation, the annual forum enables it to share experiences with domestic and foreign cultural heritage experts. It hopes the event provides the general public with a deeper understanding of cultural assets conservation, which was the mission of company founder Wei Yin-chun (魏應充).
The Polyphony of Authenticity: the conversation between traditional architectural crafts and artifact gathered experts to hold the annual forum on traditional crafts and cultural heritage conservation. (Ting Hsin Hote Foundation photo)