In 2013, Laco Yang and Hsin Yung-sheng, the owners of the Facebook page “Old House Face,” began to stroll through small lanes and alleys, starting in Tainan, to observe the intriguing exterior details on many old houses. The two photographed these old houses and kept records, which they shared online.

The decorative metal window lattices which can be found in Taiwan’s back streets convey Taiwan’s traditional culture and history as well as the warmth of its people. (photo by Kent Chuang)

In search of decorative lattices

In fact Yang and Hsin are just ordinary people, and they didn’t study historic heritage or architecture. Hsin was born in Tainan, but has spent many years in Northern Taiwan. He arranged with some friends to return to his hometown to have a look around. They found their way into small backstreets to look at old houses, where “we discovered that the facades formed a fascinating streetscape. It felt like we were in a different city.”

They noticed that many of the photos they took there were of decorative metal window lattices. The more unusual ones all have their own stories. When they were out hunting for more such treasures, if they found that the homeowner was at home, they would pay a visit to ask about the designs. The design of many decorative lattices is related to the profession of the homeowner. A consultant from an eyeglass makers’ industrial association had his lattice created in the shape of spectacles, while the lattice of a music teacher incorporated musical instruments including the violin, piano, and guitar. Alternatively, some lattices have the name or logo of the owner’s business embedded in them. “Moreover, once Taiwanese break the ice they are very warm and friendly. As a result, when we finished chatting with people they would treat us to fruit or tea, and they would move items out of the way so that we could take better photographs,” says Yang.

In the book Old House Face and the Iron Window: The Patterns that Reflect History of Taiwan, compiled by Old House Face Studio, they mention that the decorative lattices that most impressed them were found on a private residence in Lukang. The owner designed his lattices to include the famous Lukang historic sites Shiyilou (a heritage building) and Banbianjing (a historic structure noteworthy for its “half-sided well”), using perspective techniques to show the three-dimensionality of the buildings. He also made a metal lattice featuring the Arc du Triomphe in Paris, based on memories of a trip he made to France with his daughter. These lattices have become part of the family’s collective memory and continue to live on with the family members.

There is also a musically themed lattice in Taichung, which has the five-line staff of sheet music welded onto it, along with some musical notes. A netizen posted a photo to the Old House Face Facebook page and asked if anyone could identify the tune represented on the grille, but thus far there has been no accurate answer.

How can one find decorative window lattices? Yang suggests that people can spend time in the old parts of towns and exploring their back streets, where there will always be unexpected discoveries. Also, don’t forget to look up at the lattices on the second floor and above, for if you keep your eyes peeled there will be delightful surprises.

Laco Yang (left) and Hsin Yung-sheng (right) created the “Old House Face” Facebook fan page, starting a trend for searching out decorative lattices. (photo by Kent Chuang)

Some decorative lattices tell family stories. After Mr. Huang from Changhua's Lukang visited France with his daughter, he turned their memories into this “Arc du Triomphe” window lattice.

A microcosm of former craftsmanship

Chen Cheng-che, an associate professor in the Department of Architecture and Landscape Design at Nanhua University, is also an expert in the study and restoration of old houses in the Tainan–Chiayi region. Analyzing the materials used to make window lattices, he says that mild steel has an advantage over other materials in that it is highly malleable and can be bent and shaped. The use of iron and steel in buildings’ exteriors in Taiwan dates back to the era of Japanese rule, when cast iron was used decoratively in public institutional buildings and in high-value private-sector buildings, and it became fashionable. After World War II, steel came to the fore and steel window lattices grew popular.

The background story to the widespread use of window lattices is connected in part to the founding of the China Steel Corporation, which provided a steady supply of steel, and also to the need for security and prevention of burglary at people’s homes. Even more critical, explains Chen, is that “when it comes to decorative lattices made with curved lines, this involved craftsmanship and artistic expression, and this brings us to the heart of window lattice production in Taiwan: the metalworkers of that era.”

After WWII ended in 1945 and the Japanese left Taiwan, Taiwanese metalworkers who had learned their skills under the Japanese continued to build houses, and they carried on the rigorous craftsmanship of the Japanese. In addition, in those days real estate had not yet become subject to financial speculation, and most houses were built by the people who intended to live in them and raise a family. Chen avers, “I believe that the houses made under Taiwan’s own production system with the greatest value both culturally and and in terms of craftsmanship all were built in the 30 years between 1950 and 1979.”

This was also the era when decorative lattices appeared in large numbers. Metalworkers who had been influenced by the Japanese spirit of craftsmanship gave free rein to their skills, using steel to make art. “Without this group of artisans, we wouldn’t have those metal lattices,” says Chen. “They are full of free expression.” When visiting Old House Face we learned that few of the lattices were in a style determined by the homeowner; instead homeowners gave metalworkers freedom to use their own judgment. This is how we have ended up with such an abundance of creative accomplishments.

The facades of private residences in Taiwan often present a combination of mosaic tiles and decorative metal grilles. They bring to mind the “good life” of yesteryear. (photo by Kent Chuang)

Bending metal into art

What kinds of decorative lattices were created by these metalworkers who were free to use their own ideas? Based on the categories used by Old House Face Studio, one of the most common patterns used in private homes is mountain scenery. This includes not merely simple mountain shapes, but the evolution of diverse designs. For example, craftsmen incorporated auspicious clouds and the sun, moon and stars into lattices or added ocean waves. There are a great variety of ornamental lattices with mountain themes and these can most often be seen in private homes in Central and Southern Taiwan.

Flowers and plants were also frequent motifs used on window lattices. Flat steel bar is suitable for shaping into patterns showing the growth of stems and leaves of plants. The most common examples of floral motifs collected by Old House Face are plum flowers and cherry blossoms. All floral motifs can be interpreted as representing the auspicious expression “blossoming riches,” while peaches represent long life, the word for “apple” sounds similar to “peace and tranquility,” and grapes symbolize numerous children and grandchildren.

Among animal and insect motifs, the most common are birds, butterflies, and fish. Private homes are decorated with butterflies and bats, whose names sound similar to the word for “good fortune,” while fish represent “surplus year after year,” so that fish also frequently appear in window lattices. Peacocks, white cranes, magpies, and mandarin ducks are all considered auspicious symbols in the Chinese cultural world and are naturally part of the scenery in decorative lattices.

Repeating patterns and geometric lines are always pleasing to the eye and give structures a kind of voice and cadence. In many places you can see vertical and horizontal lines that extend and intersect, and some even have embedded yellow, red, or blue squares, recalling the visual rhythms of the modern artist Piet Mondrian. As a result of Japanese influences, traditional motifs include asanoha (“hemp leaf”), shippō (“seven treasures,” which are overlapping circles), and matsukawabishi (“pine bark”). There are also patterns like kaleidoscopes, or shapes that are repeated left and right or up and down, are extended or rotated, or mirror each other horizontally. These produce a sense of cadence that makes it seem as if every decorative lattice is singing with its own voice.

Local and international

Aside from the common patterns mentioned above, there are also many examples of Chinese characters or Latin letters being embedded in metal lattices. Characters with meanings such as “spring,” “good fortune,” and “longevity” as well as family names and places of birth, are all shaped out of steel. Drawing on the symbolic meanings of objects, decorative lattices often include flower vases and gourds, whose Chinese names sound like words for tranquility and good fortune. These are all intimately connected with local customs, as are images illustrating the auspicious expressions “great prosperity brought by the dragon and phoenix,” “the moon rabbit grinding medicinal herbs,” and “a fish leaping over a dragon gate.” There are also lattices with themes related to the cultures of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, such as one in Wutai, Pingtung County, featuring Rukai faces, as well as one in Laiyi (also in Pingtung) showing Paiwan clothing. All of these are examples of local culture being expressed in the appearance of residences.

Old House Face’s Facebook page is also followed by international fans, who share the decorative window lattices of their own countries. Members of the Mengoushi Fan Club in neighboring Japan have exchanged thoughts online with Taiwanese aficionados. Laco Yang notes that in Malaysia, in places such as Penang and Malacca where many people of Chinese ancestry live, it was popular to have lattices made in the form of lanterns or to have the names of businesses embedded in them. Muslim Malaysians, on the other hand, favored moon and star shapes, while in Thailand there are lattices with images of the Buddha. In all these cases, the most local of motifs are also the most international.

More than just a window

The fact that these old houses are once again being appreciated by the general public, says Chen Cheng-che, is a microcosm of the ideological transformation of Taiwanese society. In the process of many years of social movements and democratization, and the search for their own identity, people are again turning their attention to Taiwan’s own heritage. Chen uses a pyramid as a metaphor, saying that the apex is made up of buildings that the public considers to be “classical” and have value as cultural assets, while the upper middle level comprises refined expressions of the architectural culture of ordinary people. In this view, decorative metal lattices are a “microcosm of the craftsmanship of that bygone era.”

The team at Old House Face not only records the stories of metal lattices, they also incorporate them into their own creative work. At the 2022 Taiwan Design Expo, they took Taiwan’s scenery and buildings (such as the Qishan Train Station in Kaohsiung, the Hayashi Department Store and the Qigu Salt Mountain in Tainan, and the town of Jiufen in New Taipei) as their theme and transformed decorative metal lattices into screentone patterns that they overlaid on fill colors in their illustrations, creating streetscapes that are closely connected to daily life. The roles of Laco Yang and Hsin Yung-sheng have already moved on from sharing to promoting, and they hope to make it possible for everyone to see this unique form of Taiwanese art. “Decorative metal lattices have been part of the collective memory of Taiwanese for over half a century, and they are a part of local culture that deserves to be experienced by foreign visitors.”

So next time you come to Taiwan, we suggest that you head in the direction of small lanes and alleys in every corner of the island to search for treasure, and take a fresh look at these “elements of scenery that embody traditional Taiwanese culture, history, and the warmth and kindness of residents in their daily lives.”

The team at Old House Face Studio has incorporated the patterns of decorative lattices into depictions of Taiwanese scenic spots.

Let’s all search for the beauty to be found in Taiwan’s lanes and alleys! (photo by Kent Chuang)