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In Miaoli’s Zaoqiao Township, there’s a 77-year-old craftsman who makes hand-made bamboo brooms using traditional techniques that were taught by his father. Chen Wan-te says he’s not afraid of Chinese competition as his brooms are much more durable than their Chinese counterparts, while his township chief is begging him to teach his skills to others. Let’s find out more.

Wearing gloves, he uses his hands to strip the leaves off bamboo branches, removing them one by one.

Next, he sorts through the bamboo branches. They must be chosen with precision to ensure a neat finish, then bound tightly with wire to form a broom head.

The final step is to insert a bamboo pole. There! He’s just successfully made a broom.

- How many can you sell in a month?
- I can sell 350 each month.

Chen Wan-te, a 77-year-old craftsman, lives in Zaoqiao Township, Miaoli County. He started to learn the craft of making bamboo brooms from his father when he was a child. Faced with competition from cheap Chinese imports, he is not afraid, but rather confident.

Chen Wan-te
Bamboo broom craftsman
The road maintenance workers need to sweep the streets, but they don’t buy Chinese brooms because they break down in less than a month. Go buy some and see for yourself; their brooms keep breaking pieces off and falling apart in less than a month of use.

This traditional method of hand-tying brooms is becoming increasingly rare. The local township chief has paid him a personal visit in hopes that he will teach courses to pass down his knowledge of broom making.

- How about we ask Chen to arrange a course to make bamboo brooms?
- Yeah, sure!

This septuagenarian insists on making bamboo brooms by hand, hoping to preserve an art that is on the verge of being lost.

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