A Dialogue of Art and Craft: NCKU's "Boat Stories—King Boat Building Illustrated Exhibition Opening and New Book Launch"-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

With the passage of time, many wooden ships that once sailed the oceans, particularly Chinese sailing vessels, have nearly vanished from history. However, Taiwan’s King Boat culture has preserved the tradition of the Fuchuan, which bears resemblance to the Chinese sailing boat. On March 18, the "Boat Stories—King Boat Building Illustrated Exhibition" opened at the Liwen Library Plaza on the campus of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), along with the launch of the book "Reappearance of King Boat—Illustrated Blueprint of Traditional Taiwanese Fuchuan Boat Building," adding rich academic depth to the exhibition.


The King Boat Illustrated Exhibition is organized by the NCKU Museum and co-organized by the NCKU Taiwan Art History Materials Research Center. Supported by NCKU’s interdisciplinary sustainability integration program, a research team consisting of faculty members from the Department of Systems and Naval Mechatronic Engineering, the Taiwan Art History Materials Center, and the Museum began conducting field investigations on Taiwan’s wooden King Boats in 2023. The team employed scientific methods to explore the performance of King Boats. With the support and assistance of the Ocean Affairs Council, the research team published the book "Reappearance of King Boat—Illustrated Blueprint of Traditional Taiwanese Fuchuan Boat Building," providing valuable information for studies on ancient ships, replication, and reproduction. The exhibition showcases the essence of this book, presenting the unique artistic perspective of King Boat building techniques and culture through exquisite illustrations and ship models. The exhibition runs from March 17 to July 31, 2024 (Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM, closed on national holidays).


Professor Ping-Sheng Wu, Senior Vice President and Director of the NCKU Museum, hosted the opening ceremony, with distinguished guests including Executive Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen, Dean of General Affairs Jian-Hong Wu, Library Director Tzu-Fun Fu, Art Center Director Min-Yuan Ma, Chief Curator of the Exhibition Jeng-Horng Chen, Director Yi-Fang Wu of the Institute of Arts Studies, NCKU Museum Associate Researcher You-Hua Tsai, Tainan City Government Cultural Affairs Bureau Secretary Qiao-Bin Lin, Tainan City Museum Director Shi-Hong Wang, Pingtung Cultural Heritage Protection Center Director Yin-Lin Chen, Ocean Affairs Council Technology and Education Department Director Li-Ying Lin, and senior craftsman  Gui-Sui Huang from the Donggang King Ship building Workshop.


Executive Vice President Yuh-Neu Chen, in her speech, emphasized that under the leadership of President Meng-Ru Shen, NCKU launched the "Sustainability Interdisciplinary Integration Program" to promote in-depth collaboration between units, students, and researchers. Taiwan has a rich maritime culture, from its indigenous peoples to the present day, with the King Boat ceremony and other maritime traditions forming an important part of Taiwan's folk culture. The interdisciplinary King Boat research team supported by this program has conducted extensive surveys and research over the past 2 years, yielding significant results. This demonstrates NCKU’s strength in science, humanities, and arts, as well as the advantage of close interdisciplinary cooperation at the university.


Senior Vice President Ping-Sheng Wu remarked that a university's core is research, and the museum always ensures that exhibitions are grounded in solid research. The "Boat Stories—King Boat Building Illustrated Exhibition" integrates historical and scientific perspectives to highlight Taiwan’s important folk culture element, the "King Boat," offering a look back at the ancient form of Chinese sailing vessels. He thanked President Shen for promoting the interdisciplinary research program and the support of the Ocean Affairs Council. The NCKU Museum is one of the windows for the city and public to connect with the university and an important bridge for translating and popularizing academic research, making it easier for the public to engage with the content and gain more insights into King Boat culture.


Ocean Affairs Council Director Li-Ying Lin expressed gratitude to the interdisciplinary team at NCKU for their dedication over 2 years in collecting precious data and achieving valuable results. She also highlighted that through books and exhibitions, knowledge is stored, passed down, and promoted. The Ocean Affairs Council hopes to work with various teams to help Taiwan become a true maritime nation and make the ocean a bridge that connects the world. Curator Jeng-Horng Chen then introduced the book "Reappearance of King Boat—Illustrated Blueprint of Traditional Taiwanese Fuchuan Boat Building," discussing the team's contributions and scientific research methods.


The book "Reappearance of King Boat—Illustrated Blueprint of Traditional Taiwanese Fuchuan Boat Building" starts with the characteristics of the Fuchuan boat and its position within Chinese sailing boats and world wooden sailing vessels. It then discusses the historical evolution of Fuchuan boats, the development of Taiwan’s King Boat ceremonies, and related history and construction methods. The book further covers ship performance basics and analysis, using historical images, photographs, and 3D scans to showcase the appearance of individual Fuchuan boats, including King Boats.


The exhibition is divided into 4 sections: 
1. "What is a Chinese Sailing Boat?"—using ancient paintings to introduce the unique features and value of Chinese sailing boats.
2. "Fuchuan and King Boat Ceremonies"—presenting the team’s field research results from Singapore and Malaysia, showing diverse Fuchuan ceremonial cultures, as well as the development of Taiwan’s King Boat culture and craftsmanship using examples from Tainan and Donggang.
3. "Principles of Shipbuilding"—providing insight into basic ship performance and operation principles from an engineering perspective.
4. "Taiwan Fuchuan Blueprint"—using 3D scanning orthographic images to present the appearance and structural characteristics of individual Fuchuan boats (including King Boats), aiding future research or reconstruction.


The "Boat Stories—King Boat Building Illustrated Exhibition" aims to raise public awareness about the performance and preservation of wooden ships and further protect and preserve this valuable cultural heritage. NCKU hopes this exhibition not only sparks a profound dialogue between art and craft but also serves as an important platform for exploring King Boat culture.