Draft:Chen Huo-ching

Chen Huo-Ching (1914-2001), a native of Qingshui, Taichung City, was a lacquer artist who participated in the development of the Penglai Lacquerware (Penglai Tu, 蓬萊塗) during the Japanese colonial period. He contributed significantly to the promotion of lacquer art industry in central Taiwan and the transmission of lacquer art. In 1998, he received the National Heritage Award-Lacquer Art from the Ministry of Education.

Life
Born in Niu Ma Tou (now Qingshui) in Taichung, at the age of thirteen Chen entered the workshop of Japanese lacquer artist Yamanaka Tadasu (山中公) and learned the art of lacquer from Japanese and Fuzhou masters. After graduation, he stayed on in the workshop, became a lacquer master himself and also served as a lacquer art instructor at the Private Taichung Craft School (私立臺中工藝傳習所). . He was involved in the creation of Penglai Lacquerware (Penglai Tu), which was a must-have souvenir for Japanese tourists visiting Taiwan at that time. After the end of World War II, with the departure of Japanese, the lacquer industry declined. To support his family, he joined the Air Force as a lacquer worker, working on aircraft coating. However, he developed asthma due to prolonged exposure to chemical lacquer. After his wife's sudden death, he left the Air Force to take care of the family and focus on making lacquerware at home

In the 1970s, Taiwan's lacquerware industry experienced a boom in exports to Japan. Chen began accepting orders from Japanese clients and also served as a technical consultant for several companies, promoting the export of wooden lacquerware from Taichung, Fengyuan, and other areas. In 1976, he and his third son, Chen Chi-Ming (陳志銘), founded the Xinde Lacquerware Co., Ltd. (欣德漆器有限公司), which was commissioned by Japanese businesses to improve techniques of natural and chemical lacquer application. At the same time, Chen also served as a technical consultant for multiple companies. .

In 1984, Chen was appointed as an instructor in lacquer art and techniques at the Taiwan Province Handicraft Research Center. The lacquer artist Huang Li-Shu, who worked at the Center at the time, also studied under Chen Huo-Ching. From 1986 onwards, he provided guidance on lacquerware preservation at the Technology Division of the National Palace Museum. Chen Huo-Ching is skilled in making lacquerware bodies, techniques of polishing and highlighting, and various decorative techniques. In his later years, he passed on all the knowledge he had acquired throughout his life. His eldest son, Chen Ching-Hui (陳清輝), is a registered preserver of traditional lacquer art by the Cultural Heritage Department of Taichung City.

Legacy
Chen Huoqing was a successor to the lacquer art tradition of his teacher, Yamanaka Tadasu. In 1996, in order to preserve cultural heritage and promote folk art, the Council of Cultural Affairs organized the "Chen Huo-Ching Lacquer Art Transmission Program" to cultivate lacquer art talents in Taiwan

Works
Chen Huo-Ching's works and techniques often reflect the themes and techniques of Penglai Lacquerware.


 * Cloth-Patterned Small Bowl, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute collection. The interior of the bowl is coated with vermilion lacquer, and the exterior features a multilayered polishing and highlighting technique, displaying a brilliant array of black, red, yellow, and green patterns.
 * Round Lacquer Tray with Leaf and Spot Patterns, Kaohsiung City History Museum collection. The interior uses the Wakasa lacquer technique to reveal shells, and after a full grinding, the body displays an array of leaf colors.
 * Canna Lily Lacquer Tray, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute collection. It features a round wooden tray with shallow carvings of canna lily pattern, coated and secured with natural lacquer. Red, green, and yellow lacquer are applied to create decorative patterns, and a final coat of transparent lacquer reduces the color intensity.
 * Lacquer Tray with Shallow Pineapple Carving, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute collection. It depicts the robust and full appearance of pineapples with bold lines, sharp contours, and warm colors.