The art of weaving bamboo lanterns – Passing on Dake’s unique cultural heritage

A century ago, Dake Community in New Taipei City’s Taishan District produced a rich abundance of bamboo. After cutting bamboo on the mountain, local people would process it at home and weave it into lanterns, which were used to decorate the temple and considered an offering to the Earth God. Through time, the skill of weaving bamboo lanterns became the traditional character of Dake Community. In 2004, while gathering firewood on the mountain, father of township mayor Li Guo-shu (李國書) suddenly felt a surge of inspiration on seeing the bamboo. He reminisced about the traditional skill of bamboo lanterns in the area and decided to encourage the then director of Dake Community Development Association Cai Ji-fu (蔡基甫), to help revive the skill of weaving bamboo lanterns.

Through the efforts of the community director and the mutual encouragement of enthusiastic residents, the community began to revive its traditional name –“the home of lanterns”. As the community became more and more successful in reviving bamboo lanterns, the residents felt that the traditional lanterns could do with some change and development. With this in mind, residents searched the Internet and found contemporary bamboo weaving teacher Xu Hun-sheng (徐昬盛), who taught them newfangled weaving skills like retractable “umbrella lanterns” and highly functional items like bamboo baskets and purses. Since 2012, the community has been producing bamboo work for sale.

Residents and volunteers from the community have taught weaving to countless schools and colleges in the nearby area, such as Mingzhi Elementary School. The revival of Dake’s traditional bamboo weaving skills has helped reinvigorate the community, building new and stronger relationships between residents. Thankfully, the unique and outstanding bamboo handicraft of local residents seems set to continue flowing unceasingly long into the future.

The art of weaving bamboo lanterns – Passing on Dake’s unique cultural heritage

URL：https://www.peopo.org/news/327543

(以下是中文對照)

竹編燈籠技藝 傳承大科特色文化

新北市泰山區大科社區，在一百多年前，因盛產竹子，前人經常上山砍竹子，再回家加工，而後編織成燈籠，做成祭拜土地公廟的裝飾物等，久而久之，竹編燈籠就成了大科社區的傳統特色技藝。2004年，鄉長李國書的父親在一次上山砍柴時，看見竹子，突然靈機一動，想起以往家鄉竹編燈籠的傳統技藝，因此鼓勵當時大科社區發展協會理事長蔡基甫，把沒落的竹編燈籠技藝找回來。

在理事長的努力下，有熱忱的居民也互相鼓勵，讓大科社區「燈籠的故鄉」的名再次響起。不過當竹編燈籠越來越成功時，居民們卻認為，傳統燈籠毫無變化且無趣，於是社區居民決定從網路上，尋找年輕現代化的竹編老師徐昬盛，在燈籠之外開始出現新的花樣，像是伸縮自如的「雨傘燈籠」，還有實用性高的竹簍與皮包，並從2012年起，開始自產自銷竹編作品。

居民、志工們受邀請到附近各大學校如明志國小教導竹編課程，大科社區因爲竹編技藝的特色出現，讓居民之間的感情更加活絡，居民們超群絕倫的竹編手藝，也在社區裡源遠流長。