Breaking the Mold:

Lin Jia-hong, owner of Yuantai, comes from a family that has been devoted to craftsmanship for three generations. Cutting a dashing figure, he does not conform to our stereotype of a traditional craftsman. He has served as a professional soldier, repaired fighter aircraft, studied design, and run a streetwear shop. With these multifarious feathers in his cap, he was asked ten years ago to inherit his family’s business in his hometown—an invitation he readily accepted.

Creating a brand

Undaunted by the decline of Zhushan’s bamboo industry, Lin set about actively integrating the skills, networks, and resources that his family had accumulated.

Yuantai’s transition was marked by the launch of its bamboo toothbrushes. Lin acknowledges that back then he knew nothing about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, nor about sustainable development goals (SDGs). It was inquiries from hoteliers that prompted him to try his hand at developing these new products.

The launch of the toothbrushes caught the attention of non-governmental organizations such as the Homemakers United Foundation, the Society of Wilderness, and Greenpeace, who encouraged him to develop a “100% biodegradable” toothbrush. Lin achieved this by using moso bamboo for the handle, and horsehair for the bristles. In the same year he also launched bamboo straws through a crowdfunding platform, gradually expanding the reach of his brand.

A bamboo ear pick that comes with its own case.

These bamboo toothbrushes are manufactured by automated industrial processes. Customers can choose from a range of different bristles and sizes.

Innovative visions

Does bamboo craftwork have to be confined to that unassuming traditional appearance which evokes Zen Buddhist aesthetics? The reincarnated Yuantai is defined by Lin’s natural inclination to break free of the constraints of stereotypes.

“Mold breaking and heterogeneity” are the principles guiding Lin’s development of new products.

Charmingly antiquated by design, Yuantai’s bamboo mugs are coated with gorgeous colors such as wine red, Hermes orange, and an army green that carries a sporty allure. The handles of the mugs are inspired by tent guy-rope tensioners, fastened to the bodies by paracord. Laser-cut into the colored areas are iconic images of Taiwan, including the Formosan black bear, the Mikado pheasant, the leopard cat, and He­huan­shan Dark Sky Park.

In addition to the mugs, Yuantai has brought out a series of cups in a nod to Asahi beer cans. With their perfect can-like shapes, exquisite laser-cut details, and brightly colored finish flecked with glittering flakes of mica, these are wonderfully refined pieces of work.

Lin has also improved on the ear picks developed and produced by his grandmother, designing new bamboo cases for them.

Enjoying breaking the mold of conventional bamboo crafts, Lin Jia-hong has worked with a maker from Hualien to build a bicycle with a bamboo frame.

Focusing on quality

Yuantai does not boast a very wide range of products at the moment, but Lin sets great store by the quality of each of his creations.

He reveals that he has not actually spent a lot of money on publicity. The best marketing strategy, he thinks, is to present the best quality to his customers, without indulging in lengthy descriptions.

Having evolved from a garage-based family-run factory that specialized in making knitting needles into a trendy bamboo craft brand with ten employees, Yuantai has appeared in the Japanese outdoor fashion magazine Go Out, and its products are stocked by outdoor clothing and equipment shops and boutiques in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Britain, Switzerland, and Canada.

Who says that the bamboo industries have one foot in the grave? Yuantai shows us that when a traditional craft re-enters our daily lives with new, modern looks, it carries infinite possibilities with it.

Lin Jia-hong, who has a taste for the great outdoors, brings his personal interests to bear on his brand development in innovative ways.