Chinese Name: 陳志良
Born: 1975
Place of Birth: Kaohsiung City (Southern Taiwan)
Did You Know That…?
The Kaohsiung City Cultural Bureau recognized Chen Chih-liang as a paper crafting artisan in 2022, affirming his mastery of the craft and his representation of paper crafting artistry.
Paper crafting artisan Chen Chih-liang was born into a family already engaged in the paper crafting industry. He began creating paper craft art from a young age, and his family’s crafting techniques trace their origins to artisans in Lukang, Changhua County. The craft has been passed down through four generations in Chen Chih-liang’s family. His paper creations are known for their lifelike and vibrant forms. In addition to his skills in paper crafting, Chen is also well-versed in Taoist rituals, reflecting regional characteristics. He preserves his family’s style in paper crafting while also learning from various sources, making him highly skilled in traditional paper crafting arts.
Paper crafting uses bamboo splints as the framework and then covers it with various colored papers to create shapes. The production process begins with the treatment of bamboo materials. Craftsmen process bamboo into splints or thin bamboo strips and then create the framework. They use glass paper or cotton cloth strips to bind flexible and resilient bamboo splints into the framework. Afterward, they apply paste glue to newspaper, coarse paper, cotton paper, or semi-woodfree paper as the base layer and attach it to the framework. Once it dries, this forms the initial shape.
Various techniques such as pasting, painting, cutting, folding, carving, sculpting, and writing are used to create detailed features on the initial shape. After refinement and decoration, a lifelike three-dimensional artwork is created. The artistry of “pasting” plays a crucial role in the overall technique. In Taiwan, paper crafting is widely used in important ritual passages in life, worship ceremonies, and religious festivals of the Han ethnic group. It strongly reflects the cultural characteristics of different communities. Paper crafting has broad applications, including religious rituals and funerals, where paper offerings are made as gifts to the deceased. While many paper crafts have a transient nature and serve as symbolic representations during rituals, some exquisite pieces are preserved and used as decorations or objects of worship for deities.
(Photo courtesy of Chen Chih-liang)