Northern Taiwan’s last dragon boat artisan prepares for retirement
Northern Taiwan’s last dragon boat artisan prepares for retirement
2026-05-25
With Dragon Boat Festival just around the corner, excitement is building for this year’s races. But making one of these boats is not an easy feat. Taipei master artisan Liu Ching-cheng still insists on making everything by hand, even at 85 years old. From selecting the timber, to carving and painting, Liu stands alone as the last traditional dragon boat artisan in northern Taiwan.
Rows of dragon boats sit docked at Taipei’s Sanjiaodu Pier, waiting for the day of the Dragon Boat Festival to cut through the waves. Their majestically carved heads are a point of particular pride for their maker.
From picking the right timber, to carving and painting, each boat requires dozens of steps. With his lifetime of experience, Master Liu doesn’t need a blueprint.
-Woah woah, be careful!
-I’m old now. Before, I could lift it all up in one go.
At 85 years old, Liu Ching-cheng is northern Taiwan’s last traditional dragon boat craftsman. Each one costs NT$800,000. Aside from its look, each boat must handle heavy loads and be race-ready, requiring expert engineering.
Liu Ching-cheng
Dragon boat artisan
There’s no one to help out. I did everything myself, from the head to the stern. I even haul the lumber by myself. I started learning from my dad when I was 18. I’m 85 now, so I’ve been doing this for over 60 years.
Born into a family of boat makers, Liu initially learned how to make river-faring junks from his father before transitioning to handcrafting wooden dragon boats. Over the course of his career, he’s built hundreds of boats and earned international acclaim. He even knows how to race them.
Liu Ching-cheng
Dragon boat artisan
Back then, they were called the Seventh Security Corps. Now they’re the coast guard. Before they went to compete in the US, I coached them on their starting strokes for four days, and they ended up winning. I’ll probably stop after this year. I’m old. It hurts my back.
Yang Yue-li
Liu’s wife
He can’t keep doing this anymore. He’s old. It used to take him 20 or so days to make a boat, but now it takes two months.
His wife usually helps him paint the oars. They have four kids together, but they’ve all pursued their own careers. Now that he’s looking to retire, he’s concerned about passing down this swiftly vanishing skill.
Liu Ching-cheng
Dragon boat artisan
People who truly want to learn a craft can’t just listen to their teacher talk. You need to observe closely while they’re working. See what he does and ask questions. You need a quick mind.
His hands may have slowed with age, but the fire in his eyes is unchanged. It’s exactly this passion that has allowed Liu to proudly showcase Taiwan’s rich cultural heritage throughout his storied career.
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#dragonboat #DragonBoatFestival #artisan #craftsman #Taipei #LiuChingcheng #handmade #boatmaking
北台灣最後"龍舟匠人" 阿正師打造全球兩百艘作品
2026-05-25
端午節要到了，每年的重頭戲就是划龍舟比賽，不過想打造一艘龍舟，可不簡單，台北市有一位老師傅”劉清正"，今年85歲了，依舊堅持手工製作龍舟，從選木、雕刻到上色，一手包辦，是北台灣僅存的一位造龍舟師傅。
一艘艘龍舟，在台北市三角渡碼頭停靠，等待端午節那天，在水面上乘風破浪，木頭雕成的龍頭氣勢非凡，是他的得意作品。
從選木、雕刻到彩繪上色，一艘龍舟得經過數十道工序，劉師傅沒有草圖，靠的全是經驗。
- 哇哇哇，小心小心
-現在老了，我以前都能一次就放到上面
今年85歲的阿正師劉清正，是北部最後一位，手工木造龍舟工藝師。一艘龍舟造價80萬元，除了外型還要能承重、競技，都是專業技術。
[[國寶級手工龍舟匠人 劉清正]]
“沒有人幫忙用耶，這艘龍舟從頭到尾(自己來)，木板也是自己搬，從18歲開始跟我爸爸學，我現在85歲了，做了60幾年了”
出身造船世家，劉清正跟著父親學做航行河道的紅頭船，後來改做手工木造龍舟，至今已經打造上百艘龍舟，享譽國際，就連如何划龍舟，他也懂。
[[國寶級手工龍舟匠人 劉清正]]
“以前叫做保七，現在叫做海巡隊，他們去美國比賽，我就教他們四天的起步，最後得到冠軍，可能今年做完就不做了，老了，做這些腰好酸”
[[劉清正妻子 楊月里]]
“沒辦法再做了，他老了，本來20幾天能做完一艘，現在要兩個月”
平時太太會在旁邊幫忙船槳塗色，兩人有四個小孩，但各自有發展，如今想退休了，心心念念的就是傳承技術。
[[國寶級手工龍舟匠人 劉清正]]
“想去學功夫的人，不是靠師傅說的，師傅在製作時要自己去觀察，看他怎麼打造再去請教，腦筋(要)反應”
雖然年紀大了，但說到龍舟，眼神依舊炙熱，這份匠人精神，也讓世界看見台灣的傳統技藝。
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