Life Wood Carving │Interview with learners of Wood Carving Class

Epilogue of interview in Yu Tian Learning Center│Entering World of Wetlands│ Profile of Mister Chiu Jin-Ho   

Life Wood Carving

Mister Chiu Jin-Ho was born to a farming family in Dongshan Township of Yilan County and the family owned 2to 3 hectares of farm land. He should stay home to help farming. But when he was a junior high school student, he felt that he should learn a trade, so he went to a factory to learn wood carving. Later, he felt that it was necessary for him to get some education, and he picked up schooling and work part time in learning wood carving. He started his own business venture after he completed his military service.

The products of Mister Chiu are mostly exported to Japan. Unfortunately, after more than 20 years operations, his stable orders were moved to Mainland China as the labor cost is low enough to push him aside. He faced the same problem of whether to relocate to Mainland China. His choice was to stay, as he believed if an entrepreneur is unable to keep the job in Taiwan, keep in home town, then it would mean nothing how much the money he made.

He maintained his operation for another two years, but still, the realty was unsurpassable. At his 40, he retired and turned to be a guide for mountain climbing, the work he liked very much.  3 years without income invited hungry and poverty to him. 

Few years later, Bai Mi Community, the one famous of its clog was considering the added value of community empowering, Miter Chiu felt that perhaps he could help the community with his specialty, wood carving. So he set up a clog carving class through the help of Yilan Community College, to upgrade the clog of the community which values at NT$200 to be NT$2000 a pair for collection and provide the community industry with characteristics and value.

 When we were working our project, we were told that Mister Chiou was going to setup a wood carving program in Yu Tian Community, the one famous with their Lion Dancing, we took the chance to request time for interview. Mr. Wu Jian-Ho of Yu Tian Learning Center told us , Wood Carving Class has been opened for two terms, and each term last for 6 months. The thing that inspired the idea of setting up wood carving class was that flood after typhoon brought from mountains logs, and it was not wanted, and Mr. Wu Jian-Ho asked Mister Chiu to teach wood carving in the learning center and to turn the waste woods into reutilization. Mister Chiu comes every Wednesday to instruct learners how to use the waste wood to carve.

Some of the learners have attended the class for consecutive two terms. One of them came from Nanfangao. He rode motorcycle for more than one hour in one way. Learners usually would ask Mister Chiu for answers to the problems they have encountered and the answers are always in detail and repeated as many times as required. The time set for the close of the class is frequently delayed and delayed, as Mister Chiu refuses no trouble but tried to satisfy the learners.  

The works of learners we saw were mostly bare ones without painting. The wood textures are clear and visible. They are different from what we normally found. We asked Mister Chiu about it. He told us he promotes life wood carving, which means that he wanted learners to present the most “real” of the work to viewer and to demonstrate the beauty of nature.

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Interview with learners of Wood Carving Class

1. Your name: Yu Jia-Jeng

2. Work engaged: Service industry

3. Age: 40

4. Why do you attend the Wood Carving Class?

5. How do you see the instruction of Mister Chiu Jin-Ho?

Yu: Mister Chiu is highly experience and he has simple and clear carving skill and in explaining carving skill, he made it very much philosophical. For example, if you want to finish in one move, attention shall be given to the edge of cutter.

6. How do you see the belief of Mister Chiu Jin-Ho is the instructions?

Yu: He wants to invite the interests of people in wood carving and therefore, prevail traditional cultural wood carving.

7. What are the difficulties learners encountered during the course of learning? How they have them overcome? 

Yu: It is rather difficult to present stereo of human figure, such as head, hand, body and foot or the level arrangement of leave of tree. We would ask Mister Chiu to show us how he makes it, or we will refer to carved design of human body or tree.

9. What interesting anecdotes or things funny in learning wood carving from Mister Chiu Jin-Ho.

Yu: Every learner are learning attentively, even aged grandpa’s work is remarkable. Such attitude in learning is very admirable.

10. Can you please describe Mister Chiu Jin-Ho as far as you know? 

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Epilogue of interview in Yu Tian Learning Center

Sin Yu--Finally evening comes. Our teachers brought us to the wood carving workshop of Mister Chiu Jin-Ho in Yu Tian Learning Center to do our interview. A wave of wood fragrance welcome us the moment we walk into the workshop, I feel a bit faint. After reorganization, we started our interview. We talk with the learners in the workshop. They told us that the class is offered in terms and one term is 6 months and “each one carves individually, and when problem come, we ask Mister Chiu”. We then continued with other learners and we were given with answers in very detail. They said that we are always welcome. While the time was short is run rapidly, I guess I touched the endeavor of Mister Chiu.

Tze Wei --We went to Yu Tian Civic Activity Center today. I saw Mister Chiu helping his learner in carving. I think he is amazing. He can carve out of ordinary wood into things that I can’t imagine. I also heard from the learners that “Mister Chiu Jin-Ho is a tender, kind and enthusiastic person.” I guess I agree with him.

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Entering World of Wetlands

After the catastrophe of Typhoon Herb in 1996 (not 1995), Mr. Chiu Jin-Ho was called to rescue an ecology investigation team, trapped in Songlo Lake while they were conducting ecology investigation. He found them all safe and sound, but under request and invitation of the investigation team, Mister Chiu agreed to stay to help in identifying trees and recording species of weeds in the forest. After staying in Songlo Lake for 48 days, Mister Chiu was attracted by the plants, another hobby to mountain climbing.  

After completing the investigation, Mister Chiu heard that Shenmu Village of Nantou County suffered destructive damage and loss of property and life due to muddy flood. This tricked the question of relation between ecological environment and mankind in his mind and activate the life of wetland guard in the second half life of Mister Chiu.  

Starting from Songlo Lake, Mister Chiu investigated 60 lakes in Yilan County one by one and he concluded that the Suanglianpi of Yuanshan Township is the most beautiful one and is richest in ecology resources. Through the report of media, he present the rich ecology of Suanglianpi to the world and make this beautiful place known to the outside people.

Later, he heard that the wetlands were subject to destruction, he rushed to rescue wetland, but he found no help in the legal side, he could only save some unique plants from the wetlands. Under the help of Wetlands Taiwan from Tainan and Uganda Waterfowl Protection Area from Taipei he rescued more than 50 species.

Mister Chiu transplant the rescued genetic resources into his own farm land and later transplant further to Wetlands Plant Pond in Lotung Sports Park, chen’s Jianhu House and certain other places under the assistance of Yilan Community College, Touism Ambassador Association, Wilderness Yilan Chapter and Tse Whai Yuan.

Acting presently as head of Yilan Chapter of Wetlands Taiwan, Kavalan Station Head of Wilderness and Wetland Shelter, Mister Chiu houses endangering water plants, he also supply water plants to school, villa, farm house or cafeteria. 

He believes that as long as water plant is planted, insects appear and reptiles come along and even wild animals will find their habitat. In his eyes, water plant is not just for beautifying environment, wetland has the function of purifying water, adjusting temperature, it can have important effect on the completeness and stability of overall ecological system.

Although Mister Chiu injected enormous effort, but he feels that he has only limited capacity. In order to call for more people to care and to protect wetlands, in recent years, he provided serial programs in community college about wetland, such as Beauty of Lanyang Lakes, Lake and Wetland Workshop, Water Plants Administration. He also established the first wetland protection workstation in Taiwan. Leading learners from sharing experience to participating in person, Mister Chiu incubate guards for wetland protection and restoration steps by steps.

In the interview of Jiang Yi Magazine, Mister Chiu talked about definition of happiness. His happiness is joining with nature and stay with the nature. In our interview, we saw Mister Chiu sweating in wetlands with his followers, we felt his devotion in the protection and restoration of wetland and we seemed to have detected the happiness he referred.

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Profile of Mister Chiu Jin-Ho

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