Mind of the artisan – Passing on the art of glass

In 1939, the Japanese discovered an abundance of silica sand and natural gas in Hsinchu and established a glass factory. At the time, the factory had the highest production output in all of Taiwan, but with the rise of plastics, the glass industry gradually fell into the doldrums. To survive those difficult times, Hsinchu's traditional glass industry began reorienting its production with the cultural and creative industries to produce more artistic glassware with higher market value.

Mr. Xu Jin-xi (許金烺), a pioneer of glass craftwork in Taiwan, has a unique design philosophy aimed at helping glasswork catch up with the times. Mr. Xu entered a glass factory at thirteen years of age and by sixteen was already setting up a studio workshop. He went on to create glassware that fueled a wave of innovative glass arts and crafts in Hsinchu. Mr. Xu spares no effort in promoting glass art and teaches classes in his studio to invest in the next generation of young glassworkers. He hopes that the younger generation will continue to work hard and one day put Taiwan's glassware on the world stage.

以下為中文對照

早期，日本人因看重新竹盛產的矽砂和天然瓦斯，自1939年便在新竹成立玻璃工廠，產量曾是台灣第一，但隨著塑膠的興起，玻璃產業逐漸面臨困境。為了突破難關，新竹玻璃產業逐漸轉型，由傳統工業轉向為附加價值更高的加工藝術成品。

讓玻璃跟上時代是許金烺老師的設計理念，許老師是臺灣玻璃工藝的創始人，十三歲那年進入玻璃工廠學習，十六歲時便成立個人工作室，推出系列創作，開創新竹玻璃創作風潮。許老師不遺餘力推廣玻璃藝術，在工作室開班授課，全力投入培育玻璃人才的行列中，並期望年輕一代能繼續努力，讓台灣玻璃登上世界舞台。

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