“A Matter Of Character”

To most non-Chinese speakers, the Chinese language is complex. Especially the written form. A pictorial language with 3,000 years of history, each character represents an idea.

Over the centuries, the number of characters has grown to a staggering 20,000. 10,000 are still in regular use today.  A well-educated person can read between 4,000 to 6,000 characters. To read a newspaper requires at least 3,000. That’s a tremendous amount of knowledge.

So why does one man fear that traditional written Chinese is disappearing?

We explore this question and more with Mr. Zhang Jie Guang, owner of the Ri Xing Type Foundry; the last remaining traditional Chinese character typesetter in Taiwan, if not the world.

Physical Traditional Chinese typeface.

“The physical typeface is a key element of Chinese culture.” – Zhang Jie Guang

The Foundry is also home to the only surviving collection of traditional physical type fonts.

Racks upon racks of physical Traditional Chinese type fonts.

“By preserving the printed word, the language and culture can be passed to the next generation.” .” – Zhang Jie Guang

Examine the challenges that Mr. Zhang faces in keeping physical Traditional Chinese typography alive and why it matters.

“Paper Ties”

Chinese paper offerings. For centuries, it’s been an important feature in religious rituals and funerals. These paper offerings take all shapes and forms…

Hell money for spending in the afterlife.

Money…

One always needs a home and servants.

Servants…

And what’s the afterlife without some earthly luxuries?

Libations….

Seriously?

In fact, everything imaginable.

These gifts are burned for the dead. It’s a way to calm the departed… making their journey in the afterlife more comfortable.

Today, factories churn out massive amounts of low quality paper products. But it wasn’t always that way. Originally, all the paper work was done by hand.

In Taiwan, only a few traditional paper craftsmen remain.

Chang Hsu Pei owns Hsin Hsin Joss Paper, a family business that encompasses four generations.

Chang Hsu Pei works on the bamboo frame for the paper dragon’s head.

It all began with his grandfather back in the early 20^th Century.Surrounded by papermaking, Mr. Chang’s interest began at a young age.

The completed bamboo frame for the paper dragon’s head.

When he started out 55 years ago, all paper craftsmen were doing the same thing in a similar style. But Mr. Chang was determined to be different. Unique. Not to create offerings like everyone else. And he succeeded, creating exquisite paper art unlike any others.

The completed handcrafted paper dragon’s head.

But is there a place in today’s modern, hi-tech Taiwan for these handcrafted pieces that go up in flames?

This segment explores the dilemma and challenges facing artisans like Mr. Chang.

“On Edge”

It’s a two-hour train ride from Taipei to Kaoshiung, Taiwan’s third largest city… a metropolitan area rushing headlong into the future.

Kaohsiung underground metro station.

At its outskirts sits the small fishing village of Jia-ding. It is also the home to Taiwan’s last surviving bladesmith.

In sword making, every craftsman must find his way.

And for the few that remain in the world, it’s a vanishing art.

For Guo Chang Xi, it’s been a long journey. One he began over sixty years ago.

Guo Chang Xi forges a new blade.

“If you want to be a blacksmith, you must have a strong body.” – Guo Chang Xi

Hammering hot steel into shape flows through Mr. Guo’s veins. He’s the last generation of a family of blacksmiths dating back to 1888.

Guo Chang Xi in an old school photo.

It wasn’t his first choice of occupation, but his father insisted. They originally specialized in farm tools. By 1980, he branched into sword making.

Guo Chang Xi and his assistant hammer out a new blade on an anvil.

Today, it is the signature element of his trade.

And there is one thing that sets Mr. Guo’s swords apart from all others…

A vital element in Guo Chang Xi’s sword making.

…human bone.

In his seventies, Mr. Guo takes us on a journey of hand-forging one of his swords, why human remains are instrumental to his blades and what the future holds for the handicraft.

It’s all revealed in Episode 7 – Taiwan of “Vanishing ASIA.”