A straw-weaving master from Pingtung has been honored with an award for his contribution to Taiwanese craftsmanship. Master weaver Lee Lung began making playthings from straw as a child in rural Pingtung. Many years later, he is a globally recognized master of the art. He specializes in sacred straw ropes for Japanese religious ceremonies. Now a film from the General Association of Chinese Culture has brought even more attention to Lee''s brilliance.

Lee Lung cuts down a handful of straw and binds it into a rope using both hands and feet. Then the weaving starts. In Lee’s hands, a simple bundle of grass becomes a work of art.

Lee grew up in a small Pingtung village. When he was a child, there were no manufactured toys around, so he made toys out of straw from the fields. Old branches and bundles of straw became swords and scythes in his imagination. Later, a Japanese sponsor noticed his talent, and started commissioning him to weave straw products, especially “Shimenawa,” which are straw ropes used for rituals and blessings in Japan’s Shinto religion. Lee tells the story in this film from the “Soul of the Craftsman” series by the GACC.

Pan Men-an
Pingtung County commissioner
Once we have filmed these skills, through this visual archive, we can hand those skills on to each generation. We can integrate the spirit and the soul of the craftsman in our industrialized society.

Lee Lung
Straw-weaving master
A documentary is wonderful, but even better is to be able to pass these skills on. That’s the best.

Vice President Lai Ching-te was at the launch party for the latest “Soul of the Craftsman” film, where he awarded Lee a silk banner to represent his services to Taiwanese crafts. The film series has spanned the length and breadth of Taiwan to document all the many traditional crafts tucked away in unassuming spots. It highlights the beauty and vitality of Taiwan’s traditional industries and the gifts they offer our high-tech society.