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The Museum of Old Taiwan Tiles is an art museum in West District, Chiayi City, Taiwan. The museum building used to be a timber storage building during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. The museum founder James Hsu and his friends collected resources to purchase and renovate the building in 2015. In the same year, the museum building received subsidies for renovation from Chiayi City Government.
Azulejo is a form of Portuguese and Spanish painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. They are an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes.
Iznik pottery, or Iznik ware, named after the town of İznik in western Anatolia where it was made, is a decorated ceramic that was produced from the last quarter of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century.
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass.
A short walk from Chiayi Railway Station in southern Taiwan is the Museum of Old Taiwan Tiles. Founded in 2015 by James Hsu (徐嘉彬), the two-story site, a renovated timber shop built during Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945), displays about 1,500 restored ceramic tiles recovered from local heritage properties.
According to historian Kang Nuo-xi (康锘錫), Taiwan has no history of decorative tile production. All of the items on show at the museum were made between 1915 and 1935 in Japan, with the exception of a few older samples brought in from the U.K. Only Taiwan’s highest-ranking officials, richest families and largest temples could afford the pricey imports, which were primarily used as exterior decorations or furniture inlays. The tiles became unavailable from the mid-1930s as Japan poured its manufacturing resources into the war effort.
Over the past two decades, Hsu and a group of about 20 enthusiasts have been collecting and restoring the tiles. Returning them to their former glory is a time-consuming process. First, attached bricks and cement must be grinded off. Then the tiles have to be soaked for up to three months to remove any dirt or mildew. After completing this work, the altruistic hobbyists return the tiles to their owners or offer to buy them so they can be displayed at the museum.
In 2017, Hsu raised NT$5 million (US$161,300) through a crowdfunding platform to produce new decorative tiles. Working with local artists, the museum has created about a dozen designs, as well as coasters, lapel pins and magnets. Last year, its ceramic tile coaster collection was selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as one of the gifts it offers to visiting dignitaries.
In addition to documenting a niche aspect of local architectural history, Hsu and his collaborators are adding a new chapter by crafting Taiwan’s first homegrown versions.
