Interviewed at1:30pm on November 28, 2012 Recorded by
：Yu-hsien Hou
、Yi-shan
Kuo
、Chih-yu Yang 、Yen-ting
Shih、Yan-bo Huang
1. Would you please tell us about the different kinds of Spring Flowers?
Traditional Spring Flowers are divided into four main styles; the flower worn by bride; Fu-lu-sou worn by mother-in-law; Panama orange flower worn by mother; lily worn by matchmaker. Mother wears panama orange flower to represent good luck. Matchmaker does not wear a red color, but uses other colors to be distinguished. The lily represents love of all seasons.
2. Would you please tell us the origin and usage of Spring Flower?
he Spring Flower is a traditional handicraft in Lukang. It is usually used in weddings. Unlike the ones nowadays that are made by roughly pasting two pieces of paper on it, the Spring Flower was once made very beautifully in the past. It is made by crepe paper in Kin-Men area. Lukang almost lost the Spring Flower, but fortunately the master was knowledgeable with the handcraft, so that the technique of the Spring was not lost.
3. What’s your belief on continuing to make Entangled Flowers?
I am afraid of losing the technique of Entangled Flower, so he continues to teach many people. I believe that this is a Taiwanese local traditional handicraft. I think that it would a pity to lose and hopes to carry on the technique of Entangled Flower forever.
4. Are there some symbolic meanings for the Spring Flower?
I feel that the Spring Flower is the flower that when you wear one on your head, you are telling everyone that your family is throwing a wedding, so that everyone will be happy for you. The meaning is the same for when people move in a new home. Some old ladies in families wear a Spring Flower to indicate that a nice thing is coming.
5. Which items need attention when making Entangled Flowers?
Actually, there is nothing requiring special attention. Patience; you must need patience and have interest in handcrafts. Since supplies were relatively insufficient in the past, there was only red string material for the Entangled Flower; therefore, the flowers were wound relatively loosely. As long as you are patient, the flower will be wound evenly, and it will look beautiful.
6. Which exhibitions have you been invited to participate in?
I usually prefer to exhibit in libraries. I previously had combined exhibitions with other artists in Long-Shan Temple and Art Gallery. Actually, the work is very small and requires precision, so it’s more difficult to do larger exhibition. There was only one large-size exhibition in Book Art Center in Lukang recently, and others are combined with some artists.
7. What kinds of trouble have you encountered during your teaching process?
A difficulty encountered was making a round shape. Round shape flowers, such as peonies, are more difficult to make and many areas are hard to shape. Without the round shape and sharpness, the string gets loose when it is bent. Therefore, more string winding is necessary; sharpness on both sides need to be watched as well, so that one leaf can be produced.
8. How will you add new elements into the Spring Flower?
I want to add new elements into the Spring Flower. Its original use is for a wedding. I feel that many young people do not pay much attention to this red flower. I would say some fashionable clothes use corsages. We need to modify the Spring Flower to be a corsage, so that young people can accept it. Therefore, we can save the elements of the Spring Flower but make small changes to the styles to let young fashion accept it.
