Bamboo weaving is a traditional craft long associated with Taiwan. Let''s head now to meet two of the most prominent bamboo artists working today, husband-and-wife team Yang Sheng-hui and Tseng Shu-hui. Both studied with late bamboo master Huang Tu-shan. They are maintaining the ancient weaving skills once used to make all kinds of everyday items.
Each cut is placed with care and attention to detail. Bamboo weaving starts with splitting the raw bamboo. More than 20 years ago, husband and wife Yang Sheng-hui and Tseng Shu-hui fell in love with bamboo crafts when Yang took part in a study on bamboo art.
Yang Sheng-hui
Bamboo artist
The best thing about bamboo weaving is how calming it is. It can be a kind of nourishment and cultivation for body and mind. This type of fine work can’t be hurried. You must take it slowly, step by step.
Tseng Shu-hui
Bamboo artist
My teacher told me all the different things you can do in the mountains with a knife. And you can even give the waste materials back to nature, so it’s kind to the Earth.
The artists trained with the late Huang Tu-shan, a bamboo art master and living national treasure. They cut the bamboo into strips of different thickness, some as fine as strands of hair. Many astonishing weaving techniques are used to turn the strips into furniture and other functional items.
Yang Sheng-hui
Bamboo artist
You have to cut the bamboo well. Our teacher, who was a living national treasure, taught us that the objects we make will always be beautiful if we cut the bamboo well.
Since retirement, the couple have dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to bamboo crafts and education. They hope more young people will recognize the beauty of bamboo and join the field. With a bit of luck, perhaps the golden age of bamboo artistry is around the corner?
