A new documentary will aim to preserve the dying art of dragon boat building.
Radio Taiwan Internatinal
Date: 24 May, 2019
By: John Van Trieste
The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching, and in Taiwan that means boat races on the
A new documentary will aim preserve the dying art of dragon boat building.
river. These days, the dragon boats are mostly mass-produced, but that wasn’t always the case.
Even today, a few old masters are still making dragon boats the old-fashioned way. Now, one of these master boat builders is set to feature in a new documentary film that will preserve the art of the dragon boat for posterity.
When Liu Ching-cheng was 18, he was initiated into the craft of building dragon boats.
For three generations before him, his family had earned a living making row boats like these. The dragon boats in particular were lavishly carved and painted works of art, fitting centerpieces for the early summer Dragon Boat Festival.
Liu’s generation was to be the last of the family’s boat builders. At 78, he is still making boats the old-fashioned way, but mass-produced alternatives have largely replaced boats like his. Meanwhile, Liu’s son has said he won’t be taking up the old family trade.
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