|
 
(Left) Young
master Liu. (Right) Master Liu now.
Time: May 4th, 2007,
p.m 2
Location: Jien-tan
three-legged crossing.
Interview
content:
Student:
Master Liu, why don’t we see the dragon head?
Master:
The dragon head was made in some other place, and then attached together. It
was made separately with the boat.
Student:
How long does it take to build a dragon boat?
Master:
By the rate of my usual working days, it normally takes from 20 days up to a
month. Now we’re speeding up, with more manpower, it takes around 10 days plus.
Student:
Who invented the dragon boat?
Master:
Nobody invented it. Everyone build one kind of the boat, with all different
shapes. It has a variety of looks alone in Taiwan.
Student:
When did you start making dragon boat?
Master:
When I was about 17 or 18 years old.
Student:
What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered? Can you make a living by
making dragon boats?
Master:
My work is not only about dragon boats. I only made dragon boats when I got
client’s order. Normally I made sampan for living, every sampan you’ve seen in
Dan-sui were made by me.
Student:
Do you do wooden furniture?
Master:
No, I usually make boats, not furniture. This business was handed down by my
ancestor. It is the fourth generation now.
Student:
Who are your clients?
Master:
Mostly government agencies,
seldom private enterprise. If it’s not government need, it’s mostly from
temples.
Student: Why do
you want to learn to make dragon boats?
Master: My father
asked me to, also, I need to make a living!
(We all laughed
here)
Student: What are
the materials for dragon boat?
Master: We used to
use cypress. Now we change to different kind of woods due to lack of the
original material.
Student: Are there
any conventions of making dragon boats?
Master: We usually
check up the lunar calendar and find the most lucky time of the month to do the
central line of the boat.
Student: Do you
sell your boats overseas?
Master: We do send
our boats overseas, but it’s not for sale. It’s a gift from the government and
I make all of them too. There used to be 6 dragon boats in Kaohsiung, the government want to give them
to foreigners, they said no, because they want the dragon boats built by me.
(We all exclaimed in surprise.)
Student: Do you
need screw to make dragon boats?
Master: Of course.
We used to have screws specially made for boats.
Student: Why are
there holes in the center of the dragon boats?
Master: Because it
is the keel/backbone of the boat, it’s the central support.
Student: Do you
have a standard size for dragon boats?
Master: In early
days, dragon boats in Taiwan
do not have head of tail. It was changed later. We used to do dragon boats with
11 pairs of paddles, and 22 seats. One year, we got order from USA, the
length of dragon boat with 11 pairs of paddle, and 22 seats is more than 44
feet. The container ship is only 40 feet long, so we made dragon boats with 9
pairs of paddles, and 18 seats for USA. Afterwards, German came to us
to borrow dragon boats but they can’t return to us in time. So I made new boats
with 9 pairs of paddles, and 18 seats. Since then people start to follow us. I
made the dragon boats for Don-Shan
River, I-lan. I’ve made 5
pairs of paddles, 8 pairs of paddles, 9 pairs of paddles, 11 pairs of paddles,
and 16 pairs of paddles. But until now I only make dragon boats with 9 pairs of
paddles.
Student: Do women
row the same size of dragon boat?
Master: Originally
some women row 7 pairs of paddles, now everyone change to 9 pairs of paddles.
Student: How much
does a dragon boat cost?
Master: It depends
on the wood, like this one is cedar wood, it costs half million just for the
boat alone, the paddle and drum stand are not included. If it is some good
quality woods, like cypress, it may cost like 1.6 million. (We all exclaimed in
surprise.)
Teacher: So you
usually put your half million assets right here?
Master: Ha ha ha.
Student: Do you
choose the most lucky time to lunch a dragon boat?
Master: You have
to choose the best time to lunch a boat, and to enlighten the dragon eye of a
boat.
Student: Do you
have apprentice of your own? Do your children show interest in making dragon
boats?
Master: Not now.
My own son does not want to do this. Nowadays it’s impossible to find anyone
who want to do this job. Like this one by my side, he’s only here for fun.
Student: What’s
the most challenging part in making a dragon boat?
Master: When assembling
the dragon boat, you have to make sure it’s even, the two sides must be
balanced.
Student: Where did
you put the dragon boat after race?
Master: Dragon
boats of Taipei
city are now placed in Zhong Shan soccer stadium.
Student: Are they
still usable?
Master: Of course.
A dragon boat works well and is very sustainable. You can row a 17 or 18 years
old boat and it would still be fine. Like the Qu Yuan temple in Zhou mei, there
are dragon boats that are over 20 years. You can still row them in the water, and
those were made by me as well.
Afterwards, master
Liu showed us how to use the paddle.
Then he took out a
40-year-old ancient drill machine by our request, he demonstrated how to drill
a hole without electricity hook-up.
|
Introduction
Master Liu
Qin-Zheng
Rice
dumpling making 
Foreign racers
Visiting
the Qu Yuan temple
