Travel in Taiwan-Woodcarving Art, Shuimei Carving Street, Sanyi Township, Miaoli, Taiwan

Author: Tao Qing Hsu

Because of learning Buddha, I also pay attention to the Buddha image. I found some statues of Buddha statues in the Temple in Taiwan, which looked quite unnatural. However, some Buddha statues are solemn and kind, with natural movements and like living people. So let me have a kind of appreciation for the art of Buddha sculpture.

When I learned that there was a woodcarving street in Sanyi Township, Miaoli, Taiwan, I was curious and went to find out. I took the section train on the mountain line and got off at Sanyi Railway Station. After that, I went to Zhongzheng Road and turned left. Then I went straight to Shuimei Carving Street. The Shuimei Carving Street Business Circle was selected as the most outstanding business district in 2019. Since I like to roam on foot, such distance is still in the range where my physical strength can be loaded. If you feel that the distance is too far, there is a motorcycle or bicycle rental service available near the Sanyi Railway Station.

I visited three stores of them, and the boss and the clerk made some introductions to me, so that I have some concepts about woodcarving. Simply put, it is the material, the natural shape of the wood, the creative idea, and the engraving technique.

Since Taiwan is a place where Buddhism and Taoism prevail, it is still a type of creation in which the statue of Buddha is the majority. The Buddha statues carved here are beautiful, elegant and natural. Let me naturally feel the compassionate and elegant life of Buddha and Bodhisattva. For foreigners, if they have not been exposed to Buddhism, they may not understand the meaning and beauty of them.

We believe in Buddhism, and in addition to wishing to learn the Buddha's compassion and freedom in the soul; in life, we certainly hope for peace and happiness. Therefore, there are many similar creations in creative ideas, especially in terms of wealth. For example, the Maitreya Buddha, who laughs and laughs, holds the wishfulness in one hand and the gold ingot in the other, representing the meaning of wealth; the lotus has the meaning of fullness of money. The art of carving in Taiwan has its symbolic meaning. It is very interesting.

In terms of materials, Taiwan's high mountains of cypress, yew and stout camphor tree are used. On imported materials, ebony and rosewood are used, which are not cheap wood. Some are even classified as national treasures and are prohibited from logging. So, next time you see any trees, don't think they are useless and cut them to burn.

In Taiwan, every time a strong typhoon transits, there are insiders who ran to the estuary or the seaside to drift wood, because many of them are high-grade wood washed from the mountains by the wind and rain. The shape of these woods is quite natural, so the creators will follow these natural shapes to create their own creations, and become unique works that are collectible.

Of course, a perfect piece of work, of course, can not lack the skills of the engraver. However, I am a layman, I can't see the difference between them.

One of the clerk told me that many of their works are unique creations, so they will not be placed on the Internet. This is to avoid people imitating carving. I think this is very reasonable. These unique creations are usually accompanied by a certificate with the name, creator, material, and size. In order to respect the store and the creators, I did not take pictures. If you are interested in wood carving art, when you travel to Taiwan, don't forget to go and see!