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| Master Wu shows off the knife he made out of a bomb. |
Like the man who makes knives out of old bomb casings on Kinmen Island; and the painter in historic Jioufen who uses asphalt instead of paint to make his art – which has been bought by former U.S. president Bill Clinton and given to the late Pope John Paul II.
First, the knife maker, known as Master Wu, who lives on the southern island of Kinmen, which sits just six kilometres off the coast of mainland China.
During hostilities between the two neighbouring Chinas, over 600,000 propaganda bombs were dropped on the Taiwanese island – the country’s first line of defence – by the communist Chinese to try and persuade Taiwanese soldiers and citizens to come over to their side.
It didn’t work, of course, and after the bombing campaign ended in 1992, Kinmen was littered with old bomb casings, which Master Wu began collecting and started melting them down to make knives.
His cutting-edge business began and now Master Wu has become internationally known for his work and sells his knives to customers all over the world.
Then there ‘s painter His-hsun Chiu, who got the idea of melting asphalt and using it to paint pictures. If you think that’s incredible, he also uses a ladle instead of a brush to create the beautiful images that make him the most unique painter on the planet.
Clinton was so impressed with the painting Chiu did of him playing golf that he bought it – along with a few others. When Chiu presented Pope John Paul II the moving portrait he did of the pontiff deep in pray, the late Pope ordered it hung next to the Michelangelos in the Vatican.
Impressive stuff and I’ll have more on these incredible Taiwanese in the weeks ahead at www.travelife.ca – so stay tuned!
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