Nanchuang dye workshop offers Atayal arts and crafts and more

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on March 29, 2006. It features the Shipi Dye Workshop in Nanchuang (Nanzhuang) Township in northern Taiwan's Miaoli County, which has worked hard to promote traditional Atayal dyeing crafts and production culture in recent years. The workshop is currently expanding, thanks to input from tourists and members of the Atayal tribe. More significantly, the workshop has joined forces with nearby farms to create Taiwan's first "Aboriginal Dye Arts Park", which is scheduled to open in mid-April 2006.

The Shipi Dye Workshop has a garden of plants to be used in dyestuffs. The garden is also a scenic site that attracts local and international tourists.

Lin Shui-I, director of the Shipi Dye Workshop, first came to know about the art of dyeing from the elders in the Atayal tribe some 15 years ago. She set up a dye workshop to promote the aboriginal art, and led the tribe's women in weaving cloth and designing finished pieces in the Atayal style. Their works combine traditional design and modern innovation, and have garnered numerous awards in art competitions. They are also warmly received by the public, which is why the Shipi Dye Workshop has become an important stop for those visiting the Nanchuang area.

Lin and her colleagues at the workshop planted garcinia, curcuma, bluegrass and other commonly used plants in order to generate materials for the dye work. There are also 20 varieties of fiber-bearing plants such as jute, flax and sisal in the workshop's garden. The area has become an excellent place for visitors to learn about the plants.

The workshop has a two-story exhibition center that displays traditional inlaid Atayal figures. In order to coordinate with the Atayal tribe's products, the workshop plans to cooperate with nearby farms and integrate the entire Nanchuang area as one. The new complex will have cultural, handicrafts, recreational, and food and drink functions. Guided tours and DIY courses will also be provided in the future, so that visitors can further appreciate the beauty of Atayal culture.