Taiwan’s century-old inlay art

The pre-designed drawing is attached to a raw material of shell and then cut with a fine wire jigsaw blade of just 0.2 cm; this is merely one of 25 steps in the inlay process. From designing and selecting materials to waxing and painting, the master's hands create inlay art with a uniquely Taiwanese flavor.

An intense expression in the eyes and a booming voice, Hong Kong-born Chen Fu-qiang (陳甫強) followed the first batch of inlay masters across the sea and put down roots in Hsinchu. He has devoted himself to the study of inlay and become synonymous with the art in Taiwan. Aside from promoting traditional skills, he is looking to the government for help in rejuvenating the art of inlay in Taiwan.

以下為中文對照

將預先描繪好的圖形貼在貝殼原料上，再利用細如筆芯的線鋸，在僅僅0.2公分的線條上來回使力，這個步驟叫作鋸貝。然而這僅僅是螺鈿工藝25個步驟中的其中一步，從設計、揀材到打蠟、送漆，靠著師傅這雙手創造出屬於台灣的螺鈿工藝。

專注的眼神，講起話來中氣十足。出生於香港的陳甫強，跟著第一批螺鈿師傅跨海而來，並在新竹落地生根，一生奉獻給螺鈿工藝的他，已然成為台灣螺鈿的代名詞，除了推廣傳統技藝，更希望政府能提供幫助振興這沒落的螺鈿工藝。

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