Ministry of Culture-Performance Venues & Architectural Heritage

Did You Know That …?

• Lin Tien-fu (林添福), founder of the Jhu-nan Snake Kiln in western Taiwan, and his son Lin Jui-hwa (林瑞華) have combined two generations of Snake Kiln knowledge to transform the traditional industry into a high art form fit for the most seasoned collectors.

• The elder Lin, who was born in Taichung City in 1926, is often known as Master Tien-fu. He began his career in ceramics at the age of thirteen, serving as an apprentice to artisans in the Chinese province of Fuzhou. Gifted in pottery making, he became a ceramics maker in his own right at the age of fourteen.

• The Lins specialize in high-temperature ceramics, firing clay in the temperature range of 1,350 to 1,450 degrees Celsius. Very few people in the world, including the 14-generation clan in southern Japan who are famous for their firewood porcelain, deal with temperatures this high.

Read more about the Lins here or scroll down for photos.