Page 152 - 來學華語課本第五冊

Lesson 09 陶瓷與藍染

英文課文 Text in English

New Taipei City in Taiwan has two well-known traditional craft towns — Yingge
and Sanxia.
Yingge is the ceramic capital of Taiwan, with more than two centuries of ceramic

culture. In the early 19th century, a family surnamed Wu came from Quanzhou in Fujian
Province to Yingge and found that the clay there was suitable for making pottery, thus
starting Yingge's pottery industry. By the beginning of the 20th century, the introduction of

modern technology had greatly improved the quality of ceramics.
The 1950s to 1980s were the golden age of Yingge ceramics. Various types of

ceramics produced for daily use, construction, handicrafts, and art included everyday bowls
and plates, vases, architectural tiles, bathroom fixtures, and the like, which were exported
worldwide. But by the 1990s, due to low-cost ceramic imports and rising labor costs, many

factories in Yingge closed, and the ceramic industry gradually declined.
In order to preserve this ceramic culture, the government established the Yingge

Ceramics Museum in 2000, renovated the Yingge Old Street district, and organized
exhibitions and ceramic DIY experience activities, attracting many tourists. Yingge's
ceramic products are diverse, ranging from petite items like tea sets and bowls to large items

like ceramic artworks, all of which offer a pleasant surprise.
The contemporary Yingge combination of traditional craftsmanship with modern
design has transformed it from a small town into a cultural and creative city with a fresh

style, allowing everyone to rediscover the charm of ceramics.
Sanxia is where the craft of indigo dyeing in Taiwan began early on. Indigo dyeing
is a technique of dyeing cloth blue by using plant color. In the early 19th century, many

people from Anxi in Fujian Province moved to Sanxia. The Sanxia area is suitable for the
growth of indigo plants, the raw material for indigo dyeing. In addition, there was clean

river water nearby, so the residents used the indigo dyeing skills from their hometown to
go into business. The mid-19th century to the early 20th century was the most prosperous
period for the indigo dyeing techniques in the Sanxia region. After 1970, foreign chemical

dyes were introduced to Taiwan, supplanting natural indigo dyeing, which severely affected
the Sanxia cloth dyeing industry.

In recent years, as traditional crafts have gained importance, Sanxia indigo dyeing
has also gained renewed attention. Residents who cared about Sanxia’s local culture initiated
various activities in the hope of passing on the Sanxia indigo dyeing technology. Later on,

the Indigo Dyeing Exhibition Center was established for the public to be able to view dyed

142