Follow a lacquer maker through Taichung

A dark blue clock is covered on one side with gold-coloured bubbles. In Kousancraft’s water-pattern clock class, water and lacquer produce the pattern before metal powder is added. The clock goes home with its maker that day.

Lai Hsin-yu, the third generation of the family workshop 光山行, suggested a route when we asked where a first-time visitor should begin: Taichung Shiyakusho, Art Bank, then the working studio. His sequence follows lacquer through a family’s history, the place where craftspeople trained, and what people are making now.

Book the studio first. Kousancraft is at 12 Jianzhi Street in Taichung’s East District and receives visitors by appointment. Call 04-2326-4147 or contact @kousancraft on LINE. Ask about the session you want and its current availability; visitors needing English instruction should ask when arranging the visit.

Start at Shiyakusho

The former municipal office at 97 Minquan Road has a small Kousancraft history exhibition recommended by Lai. The workshop’s own City Kintsugi programme identifies it as the 80th-anniversary exhibition 《城跡與漆跡》. The first-floor exhibition space normally opens daily, 09:30–17:30. From Taichung railway station, allow about 15 minutes for the 950-metre walk.

A short walk to Art Bank

Art Bank is at 150, Section 1, Ziyou Road, roughly two minutes’ walk away. Lai points visitors to this site for its connection with the former Taichung craft school. Today Art Bank buys Taiwanese artworks and circulates them through rental. Its published office hours are Monday–Friday, 09:00–18:00. For an interior visit, contact Art Bank on 04-2223-2220.

Finish at the working studio

From Art Bank, Kousancraft’s Jianzhi Street studio is about 1.9 kilometres away: allow half an hour on foot, or take a taxi to your appointment. A weekday gives the best overlap with Art Bank’s hours.

The clock class is listed at NT$1,680 per person, with two people needed to form a class. It combines a 30-minute talk with 60–90 minutes of making. Ask the workshop to arrange the date before paying. Its one-day kintsugi course offers five hours of repair practice, listed at NT$10,000 for one or two people, using small tiles. A broken bowl brought from home will not be fully repaired that afternoon; natural lacquer needs time to cure.

A separate trip to Fengyuan

Lai’s optional final stop is Fengyuan Museum of Lacquer Art, 1-1 Shuiyuan Road, Fengyuan. It is well beyond the central-city walking route. Plan a separate journey; admission is free, Tuesday–Sunday 09:00–17:00, closed Mondays and national holidays. Guided tours require advance booking on 04-2513-0177.