Have you ever wondered why in 1970-1990, there were more than 50 bamboo fan factories in Changan, Kaohong, without any bamboo trees? In fact, most of the bamboo for these fans came from Zhongshan, Nantou. By tracing back to Zhongshan, the core of the bamboo industry, you might recognize KYOU’s predecessor, a bamboo fan factory specializing in manufacturing bone for fans. The current owner of this bamboo factory is named Qiu Bingchang; he is the founder of "KYOU" (Picking Bamboo Creativity), and he is from Tianshan and has returned to Tianshan. Why call it "KYOU"? "KYOU" is the Taiwanese word for "picking." After all, I grew bamboo, and I wanted to reclaim the craftsmanship that nurtured me. In 1973, the Zhongshan Township in Nantou County established the Zhongshan Bamboo and Wood Rural Processing Zone. After 1976, the operation of bamboo-related businesses began to be promoted through revolving loans and machinery financing. The bamboo factory that preceded KYOU was founded by Bingchao’s father under the context of the explosive development of bamboo industry in an industrialized manner. It started with the production of bamboo fan blades. In the 1970s, my father and his colleagues were already making fan bones; we were the raw material, mainly exporting to Japan; a small amount was sold to Rakhang. In fact, aside from fan bones, we later also made incense sticks. Bamboo factories are actually difficult to sustain their operations with a single component as raw material; while Taiwanese folk beliefs are widespread, the incense indispensable in temple shrines must also be produced by bamboo factories; the roundness, thickness, and strength of the incense base must meet the requirements of fragrance and burn time during the incense making process. Taking over the factory left by his father also solved the talent shortage in the bamboo arts industry. In 2010, when his father fell ill and had to return home to care for him, Bing Chang became reacquainted with bamboo as a creative medium. While back home, the National Taiwan Center for Craft Research and Development also held a bamboo arts symposium, which gave him the idea to transform the factory. "So that's why it's called 'picking up'—it really is picking up the factory from the ground up." The fan bone has been used to make bamboo poles for over 20-30 years. The factory began producing standardized bamboo poles, and different teachers adjusted the thickness or width according to their teaching needs. Bamboo crafts as a craft form require essential materials, and slicing bamboo is the most difficult part of the craft. Few people are willing to learn from scratch. Therefore, KYOU has reduced the workload for artisans in the teaching field through the production of bamboo fiber, and also solved the problem of a shortage of skilled workers for slicing bamboo.

Combining fabric sample design with bamboo craft to help KYOU break free from the destiny of OEM manufacturing

KYOU is now not just a factory that produces fan bones and bamboo strips; in the past, Bing Chang worked as a full-time textile pattern designer in Taipei, and these design experiences have also become a strength in KYOU’s bamboo product design. KYOU weaves the water-washed cowhide paper with bamboo strips in various patterns such as diagonal, zigzag, and square patterns, matching the color of the bamboo strips with the paper texture to create small card holders and business card holders. It also uses the traditional fan bone to combine with cloth design to produce paper fan bookmarks. KYOU hopes that everyone involved in the production process will be treated with respect as artisans; in reclaiming the factory, they are also reclaiming the dignity that belongs to this chain of industry.