Known for its high-tech industry far more than handicrafts, Taiwan nevertheless has strong artisan traditions that devotees maintain to this day. You can find examples in Taipei, but we had better luck in smaller towns and the countryside. En route from the capital to the Hoshinoya Guguan spa resort, I had our driver stop at a notable ceramicist and a surprisingly excellent wood-carving museum. Later, as we continued south to Sun Moon Lake, we paused at one of the few remaining manufacturers of handmade paper. Each visit proved highly worthwhile.

Ceramics

Our driver almost missed the turn to the Zhunan Snake Kiln, hidden along a mostly residential street in Gongguan Village. We made an appointment for a private tour, conducted in English by a personable guide. The landscaped grounds contain several kilns in various shapes, and in a warehouse-like building is the long snake kiln itself, constructed in 1972 to fire flowerpots and now used only once a year.

Second-generation kiln master Lin Jui-Hwa operates various other smaller kilns, including one that earned him a Guinness World Record for the hottest wood-fired kiln (it reached 2,845 Fahrenheit). At such extreme temperatures, the ash from the burning wood — here, waste scraps from a nearby furniture factory — melts onto the pieces, creating a natural glaze without any applied chemicals.