Lioujia is also the “Town of Kilns”. 也有「瓦窯故鄉」之稱

At the peak of its tile production, 六甲瓦窯最興盛的時期

there were close to one hundred kilns 有近百座的窯場

pumping out black smoke in Lioujia, 齊冒黑煙

or “Black Town” as it was also sometimes called. 也因此有「黑鄉」之名

Let’s follow the camera and check out this “Town of Kilns”! 跟著鏡頭一起探訪瓦窯之鄉吧

Hey folks, David here. 嘿大家好 我是大衛

Lioujia has a hidden secret. 六甲有一個隱藏的秘密

Lioujia actually has a lot of roof tile kilns in this area, 六甲地區其實有很多瓦窯

and this industry actually started more than 300 years ago, 而這個產業大約開始於300多年前

but now it’s a fading business. 但現在已是個沒落的產業

There’s only very few remaining in this area, 目前這地區裡僅存的已不多了

so, let’s go take a look. 所以我們去看看吧

The clay here 這裡的高黏土

has excellent cohesion, 它的黏性是最好的

and contains very little impurities. 雜質是最少的

Once fired, it exhibits a warm color 燒出來的顏色是最溫潤的

that’s undeniably pretty. 最漂亮的

These are some of the advantages of the clay in Lioujia. 這是六甲(黏土)最大的優勢

So, it turns out, the clay is the reason 原來瓦窯集中在六甲

for the concentration of kilns in Lioujia. 是因為土質的關係

During the Kingdom of Tungning, 明鄭時期鄭成功

General Chen, Yung-Hua, a general of Koxinga, 部將陳永華

began enlisting man to reclaim the land, 招募開墾此地

while teaching the residents how to make tiles from clay. 並教居民取土燒瓦的技術

This lead the red tiles of Lioujia 讓六甲的紅瓦

to become a well-known building material throughout Taiwan. 成為全臺有名的建築材料

The first step in tile-making is acquiring the clay. 製作瓦片首先是取土

which requires you to obtain a permit from an issuing authority. 取土需要經過主管機關申請許可

Once you have the permission, 核准之後

You can now “excavate” while following a set of guidelines, 依照規定程序開始「挖土」

then you can bring the clay to the kiln. 再將挖好的土送到窯場

Once we have brought the clay over, 這些土我們運過來這邊之後

it’s further refined in this machine. 它會經過這個機器淬煉

The next step is vacuum extrusion, 接下來再真空壓縮

where air bubbles are expelled from the clay, 將黏土裡頭的氣泡排出

while it’s being molded into shape. 透過模具擠壓成形

Lastly, it’s cut with a wire clay cutter. 最後再用線具裁切

An extra step is required in making the red roof tiles. 如果是紅屋瓦則是多一道工序

The clay must be shaped into an arch first, 先用黏土做出弧度

before fixing it in place and left to air-dry. 再將它定型 然後陰乾

It takes approximately one month to air-dry. 陰乾的時間至少要一個月

Once it’s been air-dried, it’s ready to be fired. 陰乾後接著就是燒製

It takes a lot of time and effort to fire clay in a tortoise kiln. 龜仔窯燒製非常的耗時費工

Before firing, a layer of mud must be applied to its outer walls 進行燒製之前必須在牆面上鋪上一層泥

in order prevent the heat from dissipating during firing. 避免燒製時散熱

Next, we must ensure that it is dry. 接下來 再使它乾燥

We have to expel humidity. 我要把水份給排掉

Too much humidity will negatively impact the quality 水份太多會影響到

of the final, fired product. 燒製後成品的品質

There are three to four vent holes on the tortoise kiln 龜仔窯內部有三四個排氣孔

that helps with the convection inside. 讓內部的空氣可以對流

The space can fire a quarter of a million red tiles at once. 這個空間大約可以同時燒製25萬片的紅瓦

Before the red tiles could go in, 放置紅瓦前

bricks are placed on the floor and the two sides of the kiln 會在窯的地面及兩側鋪磚

to help with heat distribution. 讓受熱更均勻

finally, the kiln is sealed. 最後是封窯

We leave a small, 160cm tall opening. 會留下大概160公分的小門

This small opening is for the flames to go through. 這個小門就是要讓火焰進去的

It takes a skilled master to keep the fire under control. 控制火的師傅要非常有經驗

In the early days, the old masters could 早期的師傅都是

visually gauge the fire’s temperature. 用肉眼判斷火的溫度

If the fire glows a dark red, 如果火呈現紅黑色

then it would be about 700 degrees Celsius. 溫度大約在七百度

If it turns golden yellow, 如果轉變成金黃色

then it’s about 900 degrees Celsius, give or take. 差不多900度至900多度

Once fired, 燒製完成後

it takes another month to cool off. 還要一個月的時間來冷卻

It takes about five months from start to finish. 這過程前後大約花掉五個月的時間

This kiln produces three types of tiles. 窯場燒製的瓦片類型大約有三類

Roof tiles are further divided into red tiles, 屋頂的部分有紅瓦

eave tiles and upward-concaving tiles. 出簷磚 仰瓦等

As for the walls, there’s the brick tiles 牆壁的部分有壁磚

and the unique “douzi” tiles, 與特別的斗子砌磚

both with grooves on their backsides. 後面要有背勾

Floor tiles come in a wider variety. 地磚的樣式較多

There’s rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal and even Y-shaped tiles. 有四角 六角 八角 人字磚

Each piece of brick and tile comes with its own cultural story. 一磚一瓦 訴說著這裡的故事

There are only a handful of tile kilns still in business. 製作瓦片的窯場所存無幾

This 4th generation tile kiln 這傳承四代的製瓦廠

insists on honing the traditional art of kiln firing. 堅守窯燒老技藝

To promote the tile-kiln culture, 為了推廣瓦窯文化

they are open for reservation if you’d like to see the kiln. 也開放預約參觀窯場

They also assist many cultural creatives 並且協助許多藝文朋友

with their kiln-firing techniques. 窯燒的技術

They are indeed relentless when it comes to preserving culture. 對於文化保存不遺餘力

Man, it’s quite the feeling to be able to see 能夠看到六甲

one of the last remaining kilns in Lioujia, 少數僅存的瓦窯真的是一種很棒的感覺

and this kiln is almost one hundred years old. 這座窯已經快要一百年了

Even though the heyday of tile making in Lioujia is long gone, 雖然瓦窯產業的全盛時期已經過去了

This kiln is still busy pumping out tiles and other products, 這座窯卻依然忙碌地燒出瓦片和其他產品

so, let’s hope this kiln will be able to stay 希望這座窯可以延續下去

for one hundred more years 到下一個百年

for the future generation to see. 讓我們的後代子孫也能看到

I just walked into a ranch, 我剛走到了一個農莊裡面

and as far as the eye can see, 放眼望去

there’s a lot of pottery here. 有好多的陶器

Rumor has it that they actually have a “sheyao”, 聽說這個農莊後面

or a snake kiln back there. 有一座蛇窯

Now, normally, people associate “sheyao” 一般人聽到蛇窯

or snake kiln with Shuili , 應該會想到水里

but Lioujia has it as well. 但六甲也有喔

Plus, I think I smell coffee, 加上 我好像聞到了咖啡

so, let’s go. 我們走

Some of the kilns in Lioujia 在六甲也有窯場

are transitioning into the tourism industry. 開始轉型成觀光產業

Not only can you enjoy great coffee, 不但可以喝咖啡

but also experience wheel-throwing first hand! 還可以體驗拉胚的樂趣

It doesn’t really matter if you’ve never done pottery before, 不管你有沒有學過陶藝

as the professional one-to-one lesson here 這裡提供專業的一對一教學

will get you acquainted with the joy of wheel-throwing in no time. 讓你可以輕鬆體驗拉胚的樂趣

First, we have to knead the clay. 一開始要先煉土

What I’m doing is trying to pound the clay into a cone shape, 我現在要把黏土打成圓錐狀

so, it would sit on the wheel. 這樣他才能固定在圓盤上

What I’m doing right now is trying to find the center of the clay, 我現在正試著找黏土的中心

so, it would be symmetrical. 這樣一來他才能對稱

You can shape it into any form you’d like. 可以依據自己想要的樣式來塑形