Not every broken object should be discarded. The beauty of some can be brought back by skillful hands, like those of a Pingtung craftsman Chen Guan-an.
The spout on an old kettle was missing, now it’s as good as new.
Chen Guan-an specializes in repairing vessels and utensils. Each piece he handles has a story. One kettle with a broken spout belongs to an elderly lady who’s had it for several decades. Now it can bring joy to her for years to come.
He says his client got the kettle when she was young. She is over 70 now, and she thought the kettle couldn’t be fixed, that it was broken for good.
Chen combines natural materials with modern metalworking and painting techniques to painstakingly rebuild broken items.
He says he works with items left by relatives or things he buys himself when abroad, and brings back with great difficulty.
Not every item brought to him is rare or precious, but every one is important to the client. He listens carefully to each story, and then applies his brilliant skills and creativity to give broken objects new life.
He says he wants to bring back every item’s original appearance, and replace all missing parts.
Chen has been repairing vessels for over seven years. He says this rare and specialized profession seems magical to him, as vessels with a story have an indescribable beauty. Bringing back this lost beauty in broken objects gives him a great sense of accomplishment.