David on Formosa

Sign at the Yingge Railway Station

On Sunday afternoon I took the train out to Yingge. I last went there a few years ago so I wanted to see how it had changed and visit the Ceramics Museum which had been built since my last visit.

After getting of the train I walked across to "Old Street" (老街). It was a little unnerving having to walk along narrow roads with no foothpaths. Living in Taipei it is easy to forget that in most of the rest of Taiwan there are no footpaths. I can understand why so many Taiwanese people are averse to walking anywhere. It can often be inconvenient or even dangerous.

Old Street in Yingge

Arriving at Old Street provided some relief. The narrow paved streets are a car free pedestrian area. Being Taiwan though there were inevitably a few motorcycles. Still it was easy to walk around without having to fear for your life. The Old Street area is lined with shops selling pottery and ceramics. Some of the shops also had other arts and crafts for sale like paintings and wood carvings. Some of the more exquisite and beautiful pieces had hafty price tags but there were plenty of things for sale to suit any budget. Small cups could be bought for as little as NT$10.

Teapots in Yingge

Pots for sale in Yingge

After walking around for a while and inspecting some of the wares I headed over to the other side of the railway tracks to visit the museum. The Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum opened in 2000. The building itself is interesting for its modern architectural design. It is worth taking a few minutes to appreciate it before you visit the museum itself.

Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum

Inside the museum

Taiwan has a number of notable museums and Yingge's Ceramics Museum ranks among the best. All the exhibits are clearly laid out and easy to navigate. Everything is clearly labelled in Chinese and English. Most importantly the museum successfully tells a story. My main impression was the important role the ceramics industry has played in Taiwan's history and development. The manufacturing of bricks and roof tiles was Taiwan's first real industry initiated by the Dutch and Chinese. In many ways the development of Taiwan's ceramics industry has mirrored Taiwan's overall economic and industrial development. The final section of the museum shows high-tech uses of ceramics in electronics, medical equipment and automotive parts. These kinds of high-tech products are where Taiwan's industry is at today.

I noticed that the museum ticket also included entry to the Taipei County Hakka Museum. I would like to have visited it but it was located on the other side of the river and it was impossible to walk across the bridge. There was a tourist shuttle bus that operated on weekends, but it only ran once every 40 minutes and I didn't want to wait for it. I will have to visit the Hakka Museum another time.