Meinong Umbrella Village
By Garret Clarke
9 Dec 2008
It was a few months ago at a friend's party that I found myself marveling at the beautiful umbrellas she was using as light covers. I couldn't stop staring at the intricate detail and design of them. I had to ask where she bought them. She laughed, and began to describe the marvelous village of Mei-Nong. As she told me about this small farm town nestled in the foothills of Southern Taiwan, I knew I could not leave the island with out a visit. The JPG "Umbrella" photo challenge reminded me of my desire, and led me to plan a Sunday drive to the hills.
From where I live in Tainan it was only an hour drive through jungle-covered mountains until we saw our first signs of the Hakka. In Taiwan, Hakka people comprise about 15-20% of the population and are descended largely from Guangdong: they form the second largest ethnic group on the island.
We entered the township, drove past the tour busses, and quickly saw a shop displaying the famed umbrellas. We walked in, and were greeted by a teenage girl who spoke near perfect English. She introduced us to her mother, who was busy putting the finishing touches on some umbrellas, before they were passed over to her grandmother. The grandmother was busy painting the flowers on the parasols. The grandmother allowed me free reign to take as many pictures as I wanted, she even allowed me to set up an external flash and capture her at work. It was amazing to watch how quickly she could paint the umbrellas, seamlessly switching between large brushes down to the tiny ones to paint more elaborate designs.
We drove further into the village to eat traditional Hakka noodles. From where we were sitting we could see down a small alley that ended in a temple. After lunch we walked down the alley and around the temple to come upon a man solemnly crafting an umbrella. I jumped over the wall and asked him if I could take pictures. He was more than happy, and even offered me a small tour of his workshop. He told me his family history, about his grandfather being one of the original Umbrella makers in the village. The tradition was passed down to him through his father, and the elevation in craftsmanship was evident from the first glance at these umbrellas. Down to the finest element they were the most exquisite umbrellas I had ever seen.
The man told about the symbolism of umbrellas to the Hakka people. In Hakka culture the umbrella connotes three things. Its round shape symbolizes the satisfactory completion of a project or a rite. It can also be used to expel evil spirits, because it is a shield against the rain and the sun. And finally it symbolizes progeny, because the character for "paper" (紙) is a homonymous with the character for son (子). These photos show the magnificence of the umbrellas in a way that words cannot describe.
3 responses
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Michael Adams gave props (9 Dec 2008):
Awesome series here! Thanks for sharing!
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abel gave props (9 Dec 2008):
Always good to see such beautiful items that are still made by hand. Great story and photos, thanks for sharing.
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Ross Mytton gave props (10 Dec 2008):
Mapaches.....MA PA CHES!!!!! JAJAJAJA de puta madre!
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