Innovation from tradition: bamboo carving by Weng Ming-chuan

竹，並不是容易加工的素材，尤其是以雕刻為最難施作。但其迷人的色澤與溫潤皮殼，常讓人們迷戀深陷。翁明川先生，號竹翁。他因喝茶而刻竹，因刻竹而愛竹，更因愛竹而種竹，在刻竹耕竹的二十年中，賦予竹子新生命，帶領台灣竹刻工藝產業，進而精緻現代人的飲茶文化。 Although bamboo is not a material easy for carving， its attractive color， increasing smoothness and warmth of the surface after handling and with time， and the challenge itself had drawn Mr. Weng Ming-chuan into the world of bamboo carving for more than twenty years. Beginning at the Ming Dynasty， scholars initiated the art of bamboo carving and made various "treasures of the study" with bamboo. However， Mr. Weng has a different focus of subjects from the traditional bamboo-carving artists. Since tea drinking was his initial motivation to start bamboo carving， most of his works are tea set such as tea scoop， tea spoon， tea whisk and tea screen. The new focus of and new materials for Mr. Weng's bamboo carving has introduced a new energy to the traditional art. This book includes many pictures of Mr. Weng Ming-chuan's bamboo carving to promote Taiwan's heritage of bamboo art and craft as part of our creative and cultural industry.