The quilt clinic

Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County is home to a ‘quilt clinic’, where the age-old tradition of quilt making and restoration continues to this day. Li Miao-wang (李茂旺), who began his quilt-making apprenticeship at the tender age of 15, has restored quilts as old as 60 years. His reputation for sound workmanship is known far and wide, but since the quilt clinic’s busy season is a short three months, Li Miao-wang has been forced to supplement his income through other means. Li Miao-wang said: “Taiwan has four distinct seasons, and so most people only require quilt restoration in the colder winter months. Since people generally only think of the quilt clinic at that time, profit is limited. This is probably why no young people are interested in learning this art, and the tradition of restoring quilts is quickly vanishing”.

Li Miao-wang’s quilt-making skills were learned from a Hunan master craftsman, from whom he not only learned quilt-making but also the art of cotton-padded jackets. However, following the changing times and rapid developments in science and technology, handmade quilts and the cotton-padded jacket industry went into slow decline, forcing Li Miao-wang to change jobs in order to make a living. Over the years he has worked as a carpenter, plumber, and driver at The Directorate General of Highways (DGH), but after retiring in 1996 he returned to his home and opened a quilt clinic to serve the locals. Li Miao-wang’s honest way of doing business and his insistence on returning quilts with exactly the same weight as when they arrived ensures he maintains good relations with old customers. Each and every restored quilt displays Li Miao-wang’s signature and phone number as a mark of his responsibility to each customer.

PeoPo 公民新聞

The quilt clinic (by CJ cu8060)
http://www.peopo.org/news/103268

(以下是中文對照)

棉被診所 影音 ( 公義使者 )

嘉義縣竹崎鄉有間「棉被診所」，專醫年代久遠的古董棉被，「棉被醫師」李茂旺15歲就入行，其「醫術」竟然能使一條在房間裡陪伴主人長達60年的「乾扁」老棉被重生，其高超的棉被修復技巧，遠近馳名，只是這間「棉被診所」一年只有三個月的忙碌期，其他時間，老「醫師」得兼營副業為生，李茂旺說：翻修棉被的工作早已經是夕陽行業，由於台灣氣候四季分明，民眾通常只有在冬天才會動用到大棉被，也唯有在這個季節，才會想到帶老棉被上「診所」，因為收入不是很豐盈，這個行業留不住年輕人。  

李茂旺這身技術是跟一名湖南老師傅學來的，他不只熟稔新棉被做法，也學到棉襖製作技術，隨著時代腳步的日新月益以及科技的突飛猛進，手工棉被與棉襖製作業慢慢式微，李茂旺不得不轉行謀生，先後做過木工、水電工、公路局司機，85年退休之後，再回到老家開設棉被診所，服務鄉親，他誠實的交易個性，讓來看診的老棉被來時十斤，回去也是十斤，這也是他與老顧客維持良好關係的方法之一，他更在每一件翻修完成的被套上簽下自己的名字與電話，以示對顧客的負責。

為擴大服務範圍，自2010年4月起，PeoPo每周精選三則公民報導及相關活動與發展，翻譯成英文摘要，讓更多關心台灣公民新聞的朋友，瞭解台灣在地大小事。