This is one of those articles on my resource that I would call a “road to Kenting” series – maybe one day I will make a separate category for that. In this series, you already could learn about Lion Head Mountain Square, Hetian Coffee 荷田咖啡 at 烏龜岩 Turtle Rock Beach and A-Jie Road Side Beachfront Coffee Car.
Today, let’s learn about handmade knife crafting at the only blacksmith shop in Fangliao, a township you will pass while on the way to Kenting: ‘Yongxing Ironworks 永興鐵行.’
Since 1916, started by grandfather Yang Qingdun and father Yang Tiansheng in Shuidiliao, it was later relocated to its current address – No. 48, Linhai Road, Tianshi Village, Fangliao Township, Pingtung County.
The third generation, Master Yang Yongyao 楊永耀, says that it’s not always possible to have so many shell steel cases available for materials. Things like recycled iron objects and train steel materials can be bought from antique material dealers and are also good options.
The blacksmith shop only makes steel products; large factories must mass-produce stainless steel or platinum. However, the items sold in the store are all high-quality selections, and of course, there are also custom iron works.
Moreover, the grandfather was proficient in many ethnic languages, so he was able to communicate with the surrounding tribes, providing them with trusted hunting or agricultural tools. Master Yang picked up a ‘Wujia’ he was crafting by hand, indicating that the Paiwan tribe uses this tool for digging taro.
“武甲” (wǔ jiǎ, in Pinyin) refers to a particular tool used by the Paiwan tribe in Taiwan. It’s a tool used for digging taro, which is quite crucial since taro is a significant staple in the diets of many indigenous tribes in Taiwan. However, it is essential to note that the indigenous language of Paiwan has their unique pronunciations and romanization, which might be different from Mandarin Pinyin. It seems for me (correct me if I am wrong) that, “武甲” is romanized or referred to as “vuka” in the indigenous language spoken in the area of Fangliao.
There are very many products in the store, and Master Yang will mark the customer’s requirements and materials used in a notebook. And he will affix the shop’s exclusive mark on the hand-made ironware, first to confirm whether it is manufactured from here, and secondly, to identify the material from the mark, making maintenance even more convenient.
At present, it is passed down to the fourth generation, nephew Chen Qingzong. As for being the first in Southern Pingtung, and also the only blacksmith shop in Fangliao, this enthusiasm continues in the community promotion, allowing the DiLi 地利 community to record the shop’s story.
