Three elderly stone masons, with an average age of 87, were jointly honored at the third edition of the Best Trail Builder/Repairer Award on Saturday by the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association for their contributions to building and repairing trails using culturally and historically unique skills.

The award-winning stone masons include 95-year-old Hsieh Chien-hsiang (???) from Hsinchu, 87-year-old Kelele of the Rukai people from the Labuwan village in Pingtung County and 78-year-old Hsu Jen-hsiung (???) from Taiwan’s outlying Penghu Islands.

Speaking with CNA, Hsieh said he learned stone masonry as a child, noting that the hardest part of the job is fixing stone barges damaged in a typhoon so irrigation water does not leak.

In 90 years of using the skills he learned from his father, Hsieh said he has even worked during typhoons when necessary.

Hsieh said while he is happy to receive the award, he remains worried that modern policies are leading to the disappearance of traditional skills.

The award’s other winner learned haedre, a Rukai style of stone masonry, from his father at an early age.

At 87, Kelele continues to use Rukai tools such as the kanabu, a metal rod he inherited from his father.

Kelele’s skills are crucial to his fellow villagers as the paved trail which leads to the Labuwan village must be repaired and maintained whenever it is damaged by floods or typhoons.

Currently, Kelele is one of the few elders left in the village who is adept at haedre, a skill he is now passing down to younger villagers.

Speaking with CNA, Kelele said the Rukai people gather their slate and shale from nature before carefully separating and processing it to be used to build houses or trails.

The Rukai elder said he is very happy to receive the award, and that he will continue serving his fellow villagers as long as they need him.

The award’s third recipient is the first person to win the accolade from one of Taiwan’s offshore islands.

Since retiring from Taiwan Water Corp., Hsu Jen-hsiung has taught stone masonry skills using coral that are unique to Penghu.

Due to geographical restraints, Penghu residents have long crafted garden walls and trails with coral, a traditional skill that is slowly disappearing due to the changing times, raising concerns over the need for cultural conservation.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel