Mason Work
Upon his graduation from junior high school, Jui-Wen Chen decided to get a job in Taipei.
In the 1970s, the textile industry was among some of the most popular industries in Taiwan. The textile and knitting factories exported many of their products abroad, which opened up excellent job opportunities for those looking for work. Jui-Wen Chen got his first job operating machines in a textile factory. He was so good at what he did that he could work alone just after a few days of training. However, he quickly grew bored with the repetitive tasks he was given and felt it was not challenging enough. Though it was a stable job and provided a stable source of income, he left his job at the textile company and joined his older brother at his work in masonry. Together, they found a master of masonry and learned many skills from him.
At that time, a mason not only needed to lay bricks and build houses, but a mason also needed to cover the walls with tiles. It required a high level of concentration and skills to place the tiles properly and neatly; if one of the tiles failed to line up with the others or created an uneven surface, the mason would have to redo the work. For Jui-Wen Chen, he felt challenged because it was a difficult skill to master. At first, he followed the master’s instructions and placed each tile slowly and carefully. At the same time, however, he thought of ways to work more efficiently, just like that one time when he was working on building the Shin Lin Temple.
Jui-Wen Chen learned by doing, and he was constantly thinking while he was doing his work; thus, the thinking led to improving. After some time, he started to get the hang of masonry. He then began to develop his own way of doing his work and became better and better at it. In the end, he was even faster than the others.
When asked to recall his feat in the past, Mr. Jui-Wen Chen told us proudly, “At that time, if one could finish the tiles for the kitchen and the stove in two days, he would be considered as a master mason. An even better one, like a master mason named Taca, could finish those in one day. I, on the other hand, could finish TEN of them in just one day. Some of those master masons back then would have to show their respect when they heard my name!”
His talents quickly started to reveal themselves, in those years soon after he finished school, in the mastery of his craftsmanship.
By Ariel Tsai