Chinese Name：王清霜
Year of Birth: 1922
Place of Birth: Taichung, Taiwan
Did You Know?
Wang Ching-shuang has devoted his life to honing his lacquer techniques and creations, and is especially known for his intricate "high maki-e" technique. He has also dedicated himself to promoting lacquer craft education and was one of the founders of the Nantou County Craft Seminar (now the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute). In 2010, he became the first lacquer craftsman to be named a Preserver of an Important Traditional Craft by the Ministry of Culture in recognition of his exquisite skills. "Choose something and stick to it for life" has been the spirit behind Wang’s craft, and his century of craftsmanship could also serve as a stand-in for a century of development of Taiwanese crafts.
Wang Ching-shuang was born in Shengang, Taichung, in 1922. At the age of 15, he enrolled in the study of lacquer at the Taichung College of Crafts, and four years later, in 1941, he went to Tokyo, Japan, to study lacquer art under the tutelage of masters such as Sanzo Wada, Teizo Hano, and Touzan Koumo. After returning to Taiwan in 1944, he was selected for the first provincial art exhibition in 1946 with his gouache and sculpture works. He was the first artist in Taiwan to go to Japan to learn the art and bring back lacquer craft skills, becoming an important driving force in the development of the local lacquerware industry. In 1954, he co-founded the Nantou County Craft Seminar (now the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute) with famous painter Yan Shui-long to promote the development of Taiwan’s distinctive craft culture.
Wang also served as the first chairman of the Taiwan Lacquer Culture Association and the Traditional Artisans Association of the Republic of China, and was honored with the special prize in the "Beauty of Lacquer" exhibition at Meiji Shrine in Japan in 1997, the seventh Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award in 1999, the inaugural National Crafts Achievement Award in 2007, the title of Preserver of Important Traditional Craft (the first lacquer worker to be honored) by the Ministry of Culture in 2010, the third National Cultural Heritage Preservation Award in 2014, and the Second Class Order of the Brilliant Star in 2016.
Beyond his achievements artistically, Wang Ching-shuang is also highly passionate about teaching and passing on his skills to any and all who might be interested. In addition to assisting with public sector study courses over the years, he has also participated in the Bureau of Cultural Heritage’s lacquer craftsmanship training program. His own life overlaps substantially with a century of lacquer art development and culture in Taiwan. He is a rare talent with experience in teaching, production, and management. In 2010, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage published the book "The Maki-e of Wang Ching-Shuang (蒔繪‧王清霜)" to preserve his wonderful life story and classic maki-e works and technique.
Wang draws inspiration from everyday life, and so before starting, he has to personally go to the scene to sketch a draft, and then finish the work in dribs and drabs after returning to the studio. He has incorporated the culture and customs of Taiwan into his lacquer work, and over the years he has created more than a hundred pieces, using his years of accumulated exquisite maki-e techniques and fine art skills to resent a rich face for Taiwanese lacquer art that also speaks to the deeper aspects of life. Wang's masterpiece "Jade Mountain," which took several years to complete, incorporates both traditional and innovative artistic elements, with his delicate, realistic "high maki-e" technique providing for an excellent and outstanding artistic presentation.
Wang Ching-shuang has always said that "more attention must be paid to craft education and the passing on of knowledge because Taiwan's crafts contain the spirit of her art, science, knowledge, and heritage. These are the most precious cultural treasures of Taiwan, so they must be passed down." He also hopes his own children and grandchildren will get involved in the craft, developing grander vision and knowledge so that they may take the art even further. He wants new generations to eschew self-imposed limits, to feel free to experiment with new things and return to the traditional techniques to find answers if they fail, and to work together for the heritage of lacquer art in Taiwan.