A family of Taiwan's last remaining sculptors working with red or precious coral is trying to keep their historic craft, the local fishing industry and vulnerable coral species alive.
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00:00 (gentle music)
00:02 - Miniature streets, houses, and people,
00:06 all carved out of red coral.
00:08 Their creator, 77-year-old Lai Rong-Hsing,
00:11 is one of the last coral sculptors in the country.
00:14 Over 25 years, he's sought ways to sustain the dying art
00:18 in his seaside hometown of Yilan in Northeast Taiwan.
00:21 (speaking in foreign language)
00:25 Lai's works are made using a precious deep-sea coral
00:38 called red coral.
00:39 Red coral was once commonly harvested for use in jewelry,
00:43 but is now endangered thanks to overfishing and pollution.
00:47 Taiwan saw red coral exports boom
00:48 from the start of the 20th century
00:50 during the Japanese colonial era,
00:52 and trade peaked in the 1970s.
00:55 Yilan's subtropical climate made it the center of the trade.
00:59 Lai's family was among many who made their living
01:01 from the so-called red gold.
01:03 But as he saw the man grow,
01:05 he realized red coral was a finite resource,
01:08 and things needed to change before it ran out.
01:12 (speaking in foreign language)
01:15 (speaking in foreign language)
01:19 Lai's nephew, Chen Qiwen, shares this view,
01:41 but he also thinks it's important
01:42 to keep a traditional craft alive.
01:45 (speaking in foreign language)
01:49 But it's not just the art that is disappearing.
02:08 The coral is disappearing, too.
02:11 Red coral sculptures like those in the Lai family
02:13 may soon lack the raw material they need.
02:17 (speaking in foreign language)
02:21 Lai Yuanyuan is Lai Rongxin's son.
02:32 He says his father's craft, the fishing industry,
02:35 and the coral all need protecting.
02:38 (speaking in foreign language)
02:42 (speaking in foreign language)
02:46 The Lai family believes people need a deeper understanding
03:00 of both the industry and the ecosystem.
03:03 Only then can Taiwan ensure that red coral
03:05 and its sculptors have a future,
03:08 and that this museum in Yilan
03:10 will still have these eye-popping works of art.
03:13 Klein Wong and Irene Lin for Taiwan Plus.
03:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]