Crafting artisans' stories

"I'd be happy to learn the basics during my short time in Taiwan. I spent day after day applying and sanding lacquer for two months and didn't see much progress," Hao recalls.

"So, I asked the teacher when I could start to learn ornamentation. He told me to be patient."

Wang told him that making lacquer ware is like building a house. A solid foundation has to be laid before constructing the rooms and exterior. Otherwise, the house will collapse someday.

"I thought what he said was reasonable, but I didn't fully understand," Hao says.

"I sometimes encountered problems making lacquer ware after I returned and suddenly realized how wise my teacher is."

Hao decided to practice lacquer work professionally when he returned to the Chinese mainland. He began to study under Liu Bijian, who's a master of the craft and of making traditional musical instruments, in Hubei province.

Hao also helped design the cover of Qiu Tong Cun Yi.

The cyan blue cover features a lifelike rendering of raindrops, with images based on his woodcut prints that use traditional lacquer-work techniques.

"This is an innovative attempt to apply traditional skills to contemporary situations," Luo says.

"I hope that, with the collective effort of people concerned about traditional crafts, there will be more effective ways to innovate and transform them to protect traditions."

Echo magazine's chief planner Huang Yung-sung writes in his review of Qiu Tong Cun Yi: "Now is the time for craftspeople to seek innovation and change, and embrace the market.

"This book allows us to see the living conditions and psychological states of our artisans. It reassures us. Because as long as craftspeople are seeking peace, craftsmanship can be passed on."