A Preliminary Study on Tangshan Chinese Carpenters′ Migratory Routes in Taiwan During the Japanese Period (1910~1928): Using Xidi Carpenters from Quanzhou County as a Case Study

Abstract

Based on census records during the Japanese period, oral interviews and literature reviews, the migratory routes of Quanzhou carpenters in Taiwan between 1910 and 1928 were traced. Population structure and networks, interactions between the related carpentry guilds and their job scopes were carefully analyzed. Results show that the carpentry skills inherited by the Quanzhou Xidi carpenters were actually the outcome of a gradual fusion between the essence of Ming dynasty development and the accumulation of temporal wisdom passed down from their patrilineal societies. Upon arrival in Taiwan, the migration trend of the Tangshan carpenters gradually evolved from single nodal concentration (staying within their own clans or villages) to inter-state (township and/or county-level) migration through inter-referrals. Eventually, patrilineal skill-imparting practices could no longer sustain the ever-changing socio-economic trend, and thus led to the collapse of the traditional system. In-land migration brought about geographical and subsequently, temporal transmission of carpentry skills, which led to the creation of locally distinctive styles. The initial intention of outsourcing overseas skilled carpentry teams had not only indirectly revealed the essence of ′foreign′ traditional carpentry in the local environment, but had also led to the unique fusion of ethnic, geographical and construction skill integration in Taiwan.