Aiming to promote technologies for preserving cultural assets and encourage the transmission of traditional craftsmanship in Pingtung County, the Pingtung Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute commissioned the NPUST Department of Wood Science and Design to create the “Pingtung Cultural Heritage Traditional Craftsmanship Workshop”. An unveiling ceremony for the talent cultivation base was held on September 6 (2026) at the Pingtung 1936 Tobacco Culture Base, where it will be stationed. Viewed as the beginning of a new chapter for traditional craftsman training in Pingtung, the workshop will serve as a cultivation platform centered on professional training, technological heritage, cultural promotion, and craftsmanship exchange. Whether it’s through hands-on practice or the exhibition of traditional artifacts and new achievements, the hub’s goal is to pass on “master’s skills” to the hands of a new generation and inject fresh momentum into Pingtung’s world of traditional crafts.
The project leader, Associate Professor Chien-Nan Chen of the NPUST Department of Wood Science and Design, pointed out that demand for cultural asset restoration work is steadily increasing, and that such work not only requires architectural and structural expertise, but also specialized technical skills in carpentry, tilework, stonework, and jiannian (traditional cut-porcelain relief). However, with traditional craftsmen aging, the transmission of traditional skills has become a major challenge for those concerned with cultural asset preservation. To address this, the Pingtung Cultural Heritage Traditional Craftsmen Workshop offers systematic professional training courses— bringing in expert faculty from the Department of Wood Science and Design to teach essential knowledge to a new generation of artisans. The courses will replicate the hands-on approach used at the NPUST Wood Processing Factory, thereby effectively exporting university-level professional resources into the community under a joint mission conducted by industry, government, and academia. As an excellent model for the readaptation of cultural assets and the seamless bridging of historical architecture with traditional craftsmanship, the Pingtung 1936 Tobacco Culture Base was an obvious choice for hosting the workshop. In this highly accessible location right in Pingtung City, the workshop will be able connect campus resources with the local community as they work to develop long-term transmission mechanisms which will contribute to Pingtung’s cultural asset preservation and allow traditional craftsmanship to truly step into contemporary life.
