Eastern Taiwan’s Largest Art Exhibition: The Hualien-Taitung Original Living Festival Showcases Local Creativity and Beauty

ByMOOKScenic Family Editorial Team

The second edition of the ‘Hualien-Taitung Original Living Festival,’ hosted by the National Taitung Living Arts Center,15on(Saturday)commenced at the Living Workshop of the Taitung Living Arts Center. The “Cultural Corridor” within the workshop showcases over sixty works created by nearly forty Hualien-Taitung artists, while the outdoor plaza hosts a Cultural Broadway, an Original Market, creation presentations, and hands-onDIYactivities.

Li Ji-chong, director of the National Taitung Living Arts Center, stated that last year’s nine-day Original Living Festival held in the Hualien area received an enthusiastic response. This year, the Hualien-Taitung Original Living Festival, upholding the spirit of “Without originality, there would be no cultural creativity,” has been expanded. As such, events are being held in both Hualien and Taitung in succession, with six major lifestyle zones planned for the exhibition venues:““Northern Longitudinal Valley,” “East Coast,” “Southern Longitudinal Valley,”“Taitung Plain,”“Southern Coast,” and “Islands.” The aim is to let the original spirit shine brightly in both locations. Artists from both areas display different exhibits simultaneously in both regions—this unprecedented feat and scale bring the concept of “art as life” to life.

On display at the exhibition are various plant-dyed home furnishings by Zheng Qian-xi from the “Taitung Plain”; wood-fired crafts by Chen Xin-jia and Liao Guang-liang from the “Southern Longitudinal Valley”; large ceramic jars and exquisitely crafted handmade accessories by Grandma Sha Gui-hua from the “Southern Coast,” who, despite being over eighty years old, continues to create diversely; precisely carved stone fish tanks by stone sculptors from the Stone Art Network of the “Northern Longitudinal Valley”; various sea creature sculptures by father-and-son duo Zhang Ma-qun and Zhang Shi-kai from the “Islands”; and the latest paintings by Bahaolan Jilan, as well as driftwood furniture and feather artworks by Xi Ju Su Fei from the “East Coast,” showcasing the beauty of living room decor.

In addition to static art exhibits, the festival also invited diverse creative artists: Bahaolan Jilan, Zheng Mei-yu skilled in rush weaving, giant-axe woodcarver Zhang Ma-qun, and Zheng Chun-xi known for his mouth-blown xiao (Chinese flute) performances. At the opening event, these four masters showcased their talents—Bahaolan Jilan swiftly created installation art using a curved-line knife; Teacher Zheng Mei-yu transformed unassuming rush grass into a120-centimeter-long large fish, while giant-axe woodcarver Zhang Ma-qun demonstrated his prowess in carving with a large axe, and teacher Zheng Chun-xi played beautiful melodies using hats woven from coconut fibers, allowing visitors to witness firsthand how they turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, showcasing their unique original spirit.