Project Introduction
As natural gas replaces charcoal due to pollution issues and production efficiency, the product and its industry begin to vanish from Taiwan’s market. This results in a cultural loss since the charcoal industry is part of Taiwanese culture. Charcoal producers, losing popularity among local customers, seek alternative solutions such as decorations and air purifiers to survive. However, Mr. Lee Yung-Xing, an expert regarding the production of charcoal, insists to burn wood for charcoal. He is one of the few who keep the traditional kiln for the production of charcoal. After research and interviews, our team noticed how Mr. Lee views his life differently compared to others. For example, he believes he should continue and preserve the tradition of charcoal, although the industry is not making profit. Mr. Lee's beliefs toward his life provides us a different perspective regarding the tradition and preservation of charcoal.
Motivation:
Charcoal making is a traditional industry in Taiwan, it's often
forgotten by people in the present days since almost every citizen has gas in their home, but charcoal still
acts a critical role in the Taiwanese culture, especially during the moon festival. Barbecue is one of the
traditions of the moon festival since 1986, started by a barbecue sauce advertisement slogan, the tradition
requires charcoal to roast food. In addition, there are many other uses of charcoal in Taiwanese society,
for
instance, dehumidification, blood circulation, and more. The existence of charcoal is overlooked, but in
fact,
indispensable. This motivates us to dig deeper into charcoal research and spread the information out.
Project Summary
Lee Yong Xing, having the attitude of “never give up” and “just do it”, plays a big role in cultural preservation and traditional charcoal kiln method. Due to financial constraints, Li Yong Xing dropped out of junior high school and commenced his charcoal career. Mr. Lee believed thinking optimistically and doing what he likes is his only desire in life which is also the motivation for him to continue his traditional charcoal industry.
He gained fame for his remarkable works through interviews from the news stations. However, without the help from others, this local specialty of burning charcoal will eventually disappear. Therefore, our team aims for this project to spread ideas and words regarding Mr. Lee’s methods on maintaining the traditional charcoal industry of Taiwan; while uniting Taiwanese and foreigners to aid in the cultural preservation process. Most importantly, to introduce the information pertaining to charcoal and its real life applications.
Images shot by Ryan Zhang (left) & Hsiao Shih-Hsuan (right)