Sanyi, “Duck DIY”

“The wood carving was no longer the closed-door skill because of the copy right concerns; it was successfully transformed to a tourism industry and became a family oriented leisure activity in Taiwan.” I was watching a mini documentary TV program in an early morning, and was touched by what the owner of the “Shuangfeng Wood Duck Factory” said. (also known as "Sanyi, Duck DIY" 三義鴨箱寶) I wished that I could visit this place and see what I saw on TV. Coincidently, Kristen asked me if I would like to do the DIY color painting activity in Sanyi. We were on our way to Sanyi by train the next day! Right off at the Sanyi Station, turn to the left and walk for 15 minutes, the factory is right at the corner on a slightly uphill.

Sanyi is the wood carving hometown and has gathered the most skillful wood carving Masters in Taiwan. "Shuangfeng Wood Duck Factory" has been famous for its wood ducks since 1963. If you used to have or still have a “Wood Duck” decoration at home, it might have come from here, since this factory used to be the largest and first wood duck manufacturer for the US, Europe, and Japan.

I was attracted by a variety of colorful wood carving figures once we entered the store. On the walls, the history of the factory, and the story of where the Wood Duck came from were posted.

“Wood Duck” was made to trap the ducks in the western countries. During hunting, hunters let the painted wood ducks float on the water to attract the real ducks to come down. Besides the trapping purpose, “Wood Duck” was also a collectable item by wealthy families in the west.

Due to the high-rise of the labor and material costs, “Shuangfeng Wood Duck Factory” was no longer exporting their products. In 2002, with the government and local organizations’ supports, it was re-organized, opened its door, and became a tourist and family leisure place.

After strolling through the store, we were ready to make the products next door. A wide open space that fills with students’ desks and chairs can fit 240 people at a time for the DIY color painting activity. A variety of the non-painted wood animal figures were displayed on the shelves. To choose one to paint was the hardest part since they were all cute and irresistible..

Finally, the selection was made: Kristen selected a “Goose”, and I a “Frog”. The fee needs to be paid first before painting starts. Frog is NT$300 (around US$9) and Goose NT $200 (around US$6). There is no cost to visit the store and factory other than the fee for the DIY activity. For group activities, reservation is required.

Six acrylic paints with 2 different sizes of paint brushes, a color tray, and a water bucket were provided. The instructor gave some basic instructions including how to mix colors, and then we were on our own.

The foundation color needed to be applied evenly first, and was let dry with the hair dryer. After drying, the designed colors were added and details drawn afterwards. Before adding any color, it needed to be completely dried. It sounded and looked very simple, perhaps similar to an elementary art work; however, we spent almost 4 hours to complete them. One recommendation from us for the visitors is to bring your own nice brush if you would like to work on the details. The brushes they provided were too rough to paint the details.

Here is Kristen’s "Saisiyat" Goose, and my “Tummy on fire” frog!

It needed to be sprayed with the clear coating before sent it to the convention dryer.

This is one of the successful industry transformation stories in Taiwan. The new look of the factory has not only promoted its business effectively to attracts the younger generations, but also provided fun and knowledge activity to individual or families. A great place with a reasonable cost to spend a half day or a day!

A short video clip below is showing a completely body "washed” my froggy! :)

“Sanyi,Duck DIY” website

Address: No.176, Chonghe Rd., Sanyi Township, Miaoli County

Telephone: 037-872076 Read More