Excellent Work of the 5th Cyber-Island Photography Contest
Photographer: Hong-Ming Wei
Date and place photos were taken: 2010; Sikou Township, Chiayi County

Cutting bamboo into slats Using a machete to cut open bamboo poles and then shave them into thin slats.	Heating bamboo slats Using firewood to heat bamboo slats and then bend them to make into the side frame of a basket.	Weaving slats Thinner strips are weaved into the bottom of a basket.

Tianshe Village, located in Sikou Township, Chiayi County, used to be called Bamboo Basket Village since every family in the village made bamboo baskets in those days. But, with the rise of the plastic industry, the scarce source of the bamboo material, and the increase of the labor cost, the basket industry gradually declined. Nowadays, only two families in the entire village continue to uphold the tradition.

The workers in the big factory divide the work: some split open the bamboo poles, scrape the surface to remove the filament, or cut the bamboo pieces into thinner strips; some heat bamboo slats to soften and bend them into the frame; some weave the thin strips into the bottom and body of the basket; and some fasten the bamboo frame and body with iron wires to complete the basket.
 

Weaving slats Thinner strips are weaved into the bottom of a basket.	Forming a basket Combining the side frame and basket body.	Fastening with iron wires Fastening firmly with iron wires to complete the bamboo basket.

The smoke produced by the firewood causes the eyes of the workers to burn; working by hands for a long period of time causes hands to grow calluses. Due to the decrease of orders and young people’s reluctance to work hard, all the workers here are either female or older people. Nevertheless, their movements are still quick and efficient. The factory scenes reveal to me the decline of a traditional industry; they also touch me deeply.


To view Gold Prize of the 5th Cyber-Island Photography Contest, please go to The Funeral Orchestra.

Text and images are provided by Exhibition of Cyber Island, Taiwan