Drum-making short spotlights talented Taiwan artisan

2018/03/05

A short documenting traditional drum-making techniques performed by Taiwan artisan Huang Cheng-feng was recently released by Taipei City-based General Association of Chinese Culture.
 
 The near-five minute film features Huang explaining how he painstakingly fashions drums from wood and ox or water buffalo hides. His creations are commonly used in performing religious rituals, as well as the musical genres of beiguan and nanguan, or southern and northern pipes, brought to Taiwan centuries ago from the other side of the strait.
 
 During the launch of the film Feb. 26 in central Taiwan’s Changhua County, Deputy Magistrate Lin Ming-yu said talents like Huang play an important role in preserving the nation’s cultural assets and symbolize the spirit of perseverance. It is sincerely hoped that this film helps focus more attention from home and abroad on this precious practice, he added.
 
 The short is the seventh instalment of “The Soul of the Craftsman” series. Overseen by the GACC, the initiative aims to raise awareness of Taiwan’s distinctive crafts and time-honored production skills.
 
 Born in Changhua’s Xianxi Township, Huang is a second-generation maker of drums who has handcrafted the instruments for more than three decades. The demand for his products steadily increased until the 1990s when cheap imports began taking a bite out of the business.
 
 But the high quality and unique sound of Huang’s drums helped weather the storm and kept the company in the black. These days, Huang receives a steady stream of orders from around the country and overseas.
 
 GACC, established in 1967 and headed by President Tsai Ing-wen, works to deepen understanding of local traditions, foster international exchanges and facilitate the development of Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=18&post=130247)