Translated by Yu-shan Chao
“Scented wood chips as the blade falls”—the wood sculpturing industry has been prosperous in Sanyi for almost 100 years. This year, the 2012 Sanyi International Woodcarving Art Festival began from September 15th to 30th, with the content including 7 theme activities and an art competition that has received 77 pieces of work of art created by 66 competitors from 13 countries, along with 27 masterpieces accomplished by 22 professional artists from Germany, U.K., Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Israel, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and Portugal, which perfectly reflected Taiwan’s successful combination of cross-national art.
「刀鋒落處，木屑生香」，三義木雕工藝發展已有將近百年歷史，今年的「2012三義國際木雕藝術節」從9月15日展開，至9月30日圓滿落幕，規劃7大主題活動，共有13個國家、66位參賽者共77件作品參賽，還有國外22位來自德國、英國、西班牙、波蘭、保加利亞、以色列、斯里蘭卡、中國大陸、日本、韓國、香港、澳門、葡萄牙的藝術家帶來27件作品，完美結合跨國藝術。
The Sanyi Township is at the south part of Miaoli County, and is abundant of camphorwood that has been the Japanese’s favorite. It was until the 1970s that the wood sculpturing industry in Sanyi reached its peak, when 100-200 wood sculpturing workers gathered around on the Sanyi Woodcarving Street to receive massive orders from overseas. However, as the international economy started to decline in the 1980s, the wood sculpturing industry bogged down due to its lack of manpower and wood source, which stimulated the related companies and workers to reconsider about the future of the wood sculpturing industry and its possibility to become an art industry.
三義鄉位於苗栗縣南端，盛產具馥郁迷人香氣的樟木，深受日本人喜愛，到了1970年代，三義木雕業進入鼎盛期，木雕街在最繁榮時曾匯集1、200家木雕業者，大量承接海外訂單，但國際景氣在1980年代下滑，加上缺乏人工和木材來源，木雕產業一度遲滯不前，但也促使業者及藝者重新思考定位，將三義木雕從商品升級至藝術品層面。
The Wood Sculpture Museum (originally the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Arts Gallery) of International Culture and Tourism Bereau, Miaoli County, was built in 1990 when the Council for Cultural Affairs (now Ministry of Culture) selected Sanyi’s wood sculpturing as Miaoli’s main local feature, and helped the Miaoli County to establish the museum in order to highlight the beauty of wood sculpturing culture.
另外，隸屬於苗栗縣政府國際文化觀光局的木雕博物館，原為「三義木雕藝術展示館」，於1990年破土興建，同年文建會（現文化部）擇定苗栗縣以三義木雕為地方特色，設木雕專題博物館，具體呈現木雕之美。
Ever since the first Sanyi Woodcarving Art Festival held in 1990, the scales of the festivals have grown larger and larger by year, and the Miaoli County Government has put much effort in holding international wood sculpturing art exhibitions in the wish to have art communications with countries in Europe, Asia, America and Oceania. By the visits of the massive tourists around the world, the Sanyi wood sculpturing has transformed from local cultural industry to international art activity.
第一屆「三義木雕藝術節」在1990年舉行，活動一年比一年盛大，苗栗縣政府近年陸續規劃歐、亞、美及大洋洲木雕藝術交流展，吸引大批遊客前往參與活動，將三義木雕從地方產業文化擴展為國際性的大型藝文活動。
The press conference of the 2012 Sanyi International Woodcarving Art Festival was held on September 10th in Travel Service Center, Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China. The Miaoli County Magistrate Cheng-hung Liu, together with David W.J. Hsieh, the Director General of Tourism Bereau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China, and Wen-ta Hsu, the Sanyi Township Mayor, kicked off the opening ceremony “Lightening up Sanyi” with small axe practices. The whole event started officially on September 15th in Shui-mei by the exciting “township parade,” after which the abundant content including creative wood sculpturing, wooden unities DIY, moving statue street performances, and night market that sold Hakka gourmets along with cultural and creative stuffs. Professional wood sculpture experts were invited to the event as well to join the PK competition in wood carving and a general introduction of the wood carving experts. The whole event lasted for 3 weekends and finally ended on September 30th with a firework show that corresponds to the theme “Lightening up Sanyi.”
今年，「2012三義國際木雕藝術節」9月10日在交通部觀光局旅遊服務中心舉辦全國記者會，苗栗縣長劉政鴻、交通部觀光局長謝謂君、三義鄉長徐文達在記者會中進行「點亮三義」裝置藝術及開斧儀式，宣布活動開跑，藝術節9月15日在水美以「全鄉熱鬧踩街」展開序幕，活動期間，不但安排木雕創作、木藝DIY，並推出夜間藝術活力市集，提供客家美食、文創商品及行動雕像街頭表演等，現場更有木雕師現場PK以及雕塑師巡禮，最後在9月30日以「點亮三義」燈光煙火秀，為連續3個周末的活動劃下完美藝術亮點。
