| Nan-tou County, located at central Taiwan, produces a great variety of craft materials. In order to provide crafts training courses to develop qualified craftsmen using the country's abundant raw materials, a training class was founded in 1935 in Chushan. It is the predecessor of today's National Taiwan Craft Research Institute. After the retrocession of Taiwan to Chinese Sovereignty, crafts gradually began to develop, in view of this, the training class was moved to the present location in Tsaotuen where the Nantou County Handicrafts Research Center was established in 1954. In 1959, its name changed to the "Nan-tou County Handicraft Research ＆ Training Institute", and it became a legal entity. In 1973, the governor of the Taiwan Provincial Government and former vice president, Mr. Hsieh Tung-ming, with a view to upgrade the island's craft industry so as to increase its productivity and enhance its quality as well as implement the "anti-poverty program," put the institute under his direct jurisdiction in July. In addition, he expanded the institute's functions and gave it a new name, the "Taiwan Provincial Handicraft Research Institute", an organization under the Department of Construction in the Taiwan Provincial Government. The institute's first director, Mr. Hsiao Po-chang, led a concerted effort to overcome the difficulties inherent in any new undertaking, and over the next decade the institute gradually took shape. In July 1999, the Taiwan Provincial Government was reorganized and the institute was changed into the "National Taiwan Craft Research Institute" under the Executive Yuan's Council for Cultural Affairs. Its primary objectives are to develop Taiwan's craft culture, encourage design innovation and the development of culture, foster an appreciation for high-quality crafts, and promote international exchange. |
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