Brickmaking makes a comeback
Liao Chang-o is a second-generation brickmaker, and the Liao family kiln and factory cover a total of two hectares. In the tunnel-like building, tracks are laid out to help move around the masses of bricks produced there. In its day, the Liao kiln would produce over 200,000 bricks a day, selling consistently at just under NT$1.5 per brick for years. Each year, production numbers have dropped, and it concerns Liao to see such a big kiln sitting largely empty.
Four years ago, the Changhua County Cultural Affairs Bureau proposed a plan to revitalize the industry, hoping to revive the area's old brickmaking culture. They sought out Liao's help with the plan, and she threw herself into it completely, converting the old factory to focus more on artistic and cultural creations than simple utilitarian bricks. She started working with local schools, taking groups of students through on tours to teach them about the cultural importance of brickmaking, and now, after several years of hard work, they're finally managing to bring in over 1000 visitors a year.
Liao couldn't quite believe it when the Cultural Affairs Bureau first laid out their plan; she'd never really thought of brickmaking as "cultural," let alone artistic. So to help her get a better idea of what she needed to do, she visited artistic brickwork studios throughout central Taiwan, and found that brickwork as an art form actually has a long history. In the old days, the wealthy regarded artistic brickwork, and wood and stone carvings, as ways to decorate their houses and flaunt their wealth. The last two have stayed as large parts of local culture, but brickwork somehow fell out of favor, and so Liao set herself to reviving brickworking as a living part of the culture.
As far as Liao is concerned, bricks are a very fundamental part of the culture-when the terracotta warriors and horses were discovered in the tombs in Xi'an, the bases were found to have been made of brick, indicating that brickmaking was already fully fledged as far back as the Qin dynasty. In Taiwan, other examples of traditional brickwork can be found in the Presidential Palace and several ancient temple sites around the country, many of which are entirely built of brick. Although bricks have been used in a broad variety of places and ways, most people have at best a patchy understanding of them. Now, through educational tours and hands-on demonstrations, more and more people are learning about the art of making ornamental bricks and bringing new innovation to it, as well as opening new lines for passing down the traditions. Both of these are major achievements.
The Huatan Township Office has worked hard to promote traditional industries in the township, and chief secretary Lu Chien-san believes this could have extra benefits beyond the obvious continuation of tradition. Local parks, sidewalks, walls and fences, and building facades could all benefit from the aesthetic appeal of specially created bricks, while also giving the whole town a more modern air. This is part of the reason that Liao's husband Chang Cheng-yuen decided to get involved in the brickmaking industry, even though he never had any contact with it as a child. In fact, Chang has developed a repertoire of over 70 different styles of brick, and his exquisite workmanship has even attracted clients like McDonald's, who contracted him to build the local outlet a pond and a set of brickwork golden arches. Having such a major company recognise their work has encouraged Liao and Chang immensely.
Things are looking bright for the future of Huatan. Whether it's developing new jasmine-based products, the revival of the aquaculture industry, or the local brickmaking industry's comeback, the traditional industries of Huatan, that were once in such dire straits, are looking at a wonderful future.
The so-called "June snow"-a sea of jasmine flowers.