Two brothers who make nets in Keelung are the protagonists of the latest mini documentary by the General Association of Chinese Culture. The video is the 24th episode of "The Soul of the Craftsman." It follows the brothers as they go about their everyday work, hooking together rope to make fishing nets. The net-making craft is on the brink of disappearing, with only two businesses left in Zhengbin Fishing Harbor.
Voice of Chuang Sung-hsiung
Net maker
You have to pay attention to several things to make a good net. If you reinforce certain small corners, it makes the net sturdier when it''s cast, and the catch will be better.
Wearing a raincoat and squatting on the floor, Chuang Sung-hsiung is busy with the netting needle. He''s been making fishing nets like this for over 40 years.
Voice of Chuang Sung-hsiung
Net maker
Business was booming back in the ''70s. In typhoon days or in bad weather, boats came back and we didn''t even have to pull the shutter down. Nets piled up at the two sides of the entrance and they even spilled across the road.
Chuang''s brother joined the trade after fulfilling his military service. But by then, the heyday of the craft had already passed. Today, only two net makers are still plying their trade at Keelung''s Zhengbin Fishing Harbor. In 2017, the General Association of Chinese Culture started a documentary series on Taiwan''s traditional and innovative arts. The short videos feature local craftspeople who create things of beauty in unexpected places. The series showcases many rare traditional crafts on the brink of disappearing.
Chuang Te-hsing
Net maker
If boats don''t take to sea, then they don''t cast nets, and if they don''t cast nets, we''ve got to pack up and leave.
He jokes about having to shut down, but he''s doing all he can to prevent that from happening. The netting brothers are expanding their craft outside of the fishing industry, putting their handiwork to new uses, like turning them into sports gear. They hope that with a bit of creativity, their traditional craft can continue to appeal in the modern world.
