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Grade 6 Class Yi － Chih-Yu Tsao
Today we visited the Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. Though this museum was hidden in small alleys, it had many marvelous art works. I learned to never make judgments from appearance. Mr. Chen Forng-Shean gave us a whole-hearted welcome as soon as we arrived. First, he gave us a tour of the brick carvings on the first floor. Then the research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, guided us to the second floor for more art pieces. I was most impressed with the micro books collections, especially “Tan Dynasty 300 poems.” I was so shocked that there were so many words carved in this 0.9cm x 0.9 cm book.
Mr. Chen had gray hair, sharp eyes and a heart-warming smile on his face. We have learned a lot from the interview because Mr. Chen was very kind and passionate in answering all of our questions. Now we have not only learned more about brick carving but also witnessed world-class masterpieces. We feel grateful and joyful.
Grade 6 Class Yi － Shao-Ting Lin
We visited the Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum today. We had a group tour, hands-on workshop activities and interviews. We were so surprised that there were so many amazing hidden art masterpieces at the end of a small alley.
The Miniature Art Museum was a two-story building. On the first floor, there were famous brick carving artworks, such as “The Smallest Bill” and “Leaders of Both Side Across the Strait.” They were created by implicit techniques and they each had individual unique styles. I had never seen these creations. On the second floor, we witnessed many miniature carvings. The well-known French story “The Little Prince” micro book amazed me the most.
After the tour, we interviewed Mr. Chen. He was so kind and nice. He replied to every question in detail. We have learned a lot today. What a knowledgeable trip!
Grade 6 Class Jen － Pei-Chi Wang
We visited the Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. It is located in the middle of nowhere, yet we saw many world-class artworks. Mr. Chen is good at brick and miniature carving and he can carve poetry, animals and landscapes on a nut or even a grain of rice. Each art piece has great value.
The first thing you realized is the passion from Mr. Chen in the brick carving and micro-carvings which are smaller than one millimeter. The brick carving “Leaders of Both Side Across the Strait” makes Mr. Chen the most proud. When we went upstairs, we saw micro-carvings through magnifying glasses, which were amazing. We could feel the huge effort and time Mr. Chen had spent on each piece of artwork. The seven world-renowned micro books shocked Russian carving artists with such skillful techniques. What surprised me the most was the sentence “I am at the bottom of the Heartless Valley, ” which was quoted from the famous literature Legend of Condor Hero written by Jing Yong, carved on the wing of a bee. Furthermore, there was the Great Wall carved on a grain of rice, the world’s smallest watermelon and so on.
Although we had rehearsed two times, I still felt nervous during the interview with Mr. Chen. Thank goodness he was humorous and kind. I felt relieved. We learned that Mr. Chen was passionate for brick carving and miniature carving. However, there were concerns about future inheritance and perseverance. I sincerely hope these techniques can be passed down from generation to generation.
Grade 6 Class Hsiao － Jui-Hung Chien
Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum was really hard to find because it was hidden in a small alley. Although its location was not obvious, the brick carving and miniature carving artwork within was world famous.
The research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, first introduced the two new sculptures at the door: in one was carved “pursue one millimeter”; in the other was carved “love.” It showed Mr. Chen has high expectation of himself and also has passion for art. When we entered the museum, Mr. Forng-Shean Chen, with a big smile on his face, told us that it might take at least an hour to see all his collection. I was looking forward to seeing all of his art work.
On the second floor, we saw a lot of transparent boxes. Inside there were magnifying glasses for better viewing each masterpiece. Some of the work even holds world records. I enjoyed the tour and I took some pictures on my cellphone, but my eyes started to get tired after long time of focusing on the miniatures. I bet Mr. Chen must use great effort when creating these art pieces. The following interview was good, too. I have learned lot from the passionate Mr. Chen.
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Grade 6 Class Chung － Tzu-Ying Chen
As we wandered through the serene curved alleys, we wondered where the destination would be. After another turn, we saw a small sign: Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. Mr. Chen and his research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, welcomed us. As Ms. Cho Min guided us into the wonderland, we marveled at the carvings along the way: a self-portrait carving, Taipei 101, animal miniatures and Mr. Chen’s newest brick carving “Leaders of Both Sides Across the Strait.”
Heading upstairs, we then saw portraits on the wall, all professionally created and showcasing Mr. Chen’s high-level art talent. We then spread out to explore on our own. Everyone concentrated on viewing each miniature carving through the provided magnifying glasses.
Our cameras could not capture the micro-carving collections, such as world’s smallest ant, the goldfish at the bottom of the bowl, the poetry on a knitting needle, the famous panda Yuan and micro books smaller than nails. The working studio of Mr. Chen is only palm-sized, with various tools spread on the desk. Mr. Chen has created a universe with petite creations.
We could tell Mr. Chen was proud of his work from our interview with him. We also had a great time in this museum. It turns out there is an artist quietly guarding this unique culture of brick and miniature carving.
Grade 5 Class Yi － Yu-Yu Lin
It’s Sunday! We visited Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. Although it was located down a small alley, the artwork within was magnificent. Mr. Chen welcomed us with a big smile and asked the research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, to give us a tour. There were brick carvings on the ground floor and the miniature carvings were located on the second floor. We were so amazed at these petite micro-carvings.
When it came to the interview, Mr. Chen explained everything in details and provided us more information about this fascinating art. I have gained a lot knowledge and seen a lot of world-class masterpieces. It was such a privilege to be here.
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Grade 5 Class Hsin － Hsuan-En Hsu
Today we visited Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. Mr. Chen passionately welcomed and introduced some of his brick carvings that he created recently. Then, the research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, showed us to the second floor that was like a small paradise. There were rice mocro-carving, micro-books and more miniature creations. We couldn’t wait to use our cell phones and our cameras to capture what we’ve just seen. The most impressive thing was the eggshell carving. Mr. Chen punched tiny holes with a micro thin steel needle to form an oval shape; then remove this piece, an oval-shaped hole hence created. Next, he painted “Kong”, a Chinese character, which means emptiness, 280 times the same character on eggshell forms the bigger “Kong” character. It was really amazing. I was anxious about the interview at first, but Mr. Chen explained everything nicely and smoothly. He has reduced my anxiety and made me fall in love with the tiny art creations. I learned a lot and I was thankful for this trip.
Grade 5 Class Hsin － Hsuan-Chu Chen
It was the day for us to visit Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. We were so excited that we couldn’t believe the location was not obvious. I thought it will be a big museum, but it’s actually a small house. However, I was shocked to see so many delicate unique creations on display. Mr. Chen asked the research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, to give us a tour of brick carvings and miniature carvings. In brick carvings, there were various topics like, animals, celebrities and Chinese characters. Every collection is traditionally made and creative.
When we went upstairs, I was even more astonished by the micro- carvings. They were too small to take a clear picture. I looked through magnifying glasses, and I admired Master’s work and patience to create these miniature carvings. It needed not only skills, but also professional tools and eagle-like eyes to accomplish every piece of work. I only watch for a while and I felt dizzy and blurry.
Ms. Cho Min said there were 5 techniques (micro-engraving, micro-carving, micro-book, micro-painting, and micro-sculpture) in miniature carving. My favorite one is the eggshell carving that was painted “Kong”, a Chinese character, which means emptiness, 280 times the same character on eggshell forms the bigger “Kong” character. We spent more than one hour to see everything, and I think Mr. Chen has spent years of effort on these creations. Hopefully, these precious skills will be passed on generations, so that more people know about this petite art paradise.
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Grade 5 Class Ai － Ko-Hsin Huang
On Sunday early morning, we arrived at Chen Forng-Shean Miniature Art Museum. Through the winding alley, there stood an old house. It was not very obvious. However, the art works inside amazed us.
As soon as we got to the entrance, the research assistant, Ms. Cho Min, gave us a warm welcome. She introduced us the brick carving work of Mr. Chen. Before this visit, I thought Mr. Chen only work on micro-carving. Now, I knew that he has outstanding talent on brick carving. A row of creations were on display along the way. Mr. Chen introduced us his favorite creation and latest work with enthusiasm.
As we reached on to second floor, those pieces of work in real life were way beautiful than the pictures I saw on the website. They were more detailed when I saw it with my own eyes. Since they were really tiny, we needed to see them with magnifying glasses.
During the interview, we’ve learned that there were a lot of difficulties to overcome before a masterpiece was created. What I learned from this activity was Mr. Chen’s positive attitude, efforts and hard work.
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