Cultural Heritage Department of Taichung City

Bamboo sculptures have a long history and are art works due to the background that the literati early on liked to inscribe poetry or images on bamboo, or even used bamboo to make seals. The literati during the Song Dynasty preferred carving out landscapes, as well as animals and plants, such as flowers, birds, insects and fish, on bamboo strips to convey their thoughts and feelings. In the Ming Dynasty, architecture and garden images were added and bamboo sculpture became popular during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty.
Taiwan’s climate favors the growth of bamboo, and bamboo utensils and crafts once prospered. The late bamboo master Chen Zheng-Qi once stated, “The riper the bamboo is, the better it is for sculpting; secondary, a unique-looking sculpture is preferable so the bamboo material should be firm and thick, and not prone to cracking.” This proves the important role of the bamboo material in sculpture and it relies much on the artist’s full understanding of the attributes of bamboo and its sophisticated craftsmanship in order to make bamboo into a real art form.
Bamboo material cannot be as deep carved into as wood, and its surface is curved, rendering the sculpting process rather difficult. Mr. Chen Chun-Ming was born into a family that works on bamboo sculpture and his creations are highly artistic, unique, and symbolic of regional cultures, embracing both traditional and modern elements. This has earned him a reputation as a national craft artist. The bamboo sculpture meets the folk art certification standards and is truly worth preserving for posterity.