Tianzhong Kiln Creative Park

The Tianzhong Kiln Creative Park is located in Tianzhong Township, southeastern Changhua County. With its flat terrain, fertile soil, and convenient irrigation, it has been renowned for rice cultivation since ancient times, earning it the nickname 'Rice Granary.' Since 1994, community empowerment initiatives have encouraged residents and artisans to integrate farming, crafts, and tourism, gradually transforming the area into an innovative town. In 1992, Yeh Chih-Cheng, a 'Taiwan Craft House' artisan and preserver of intangible cultural heritage, renamed 'Taosheng Ceramics' to 'Tianzhong Kiln.' Operating under the name 'Jiuyi Kiln Co., Ltd.,' he transitioned from producing utilitarian ceramics to wood-fired art, creating a multi-generational complex suitable for families. Beyond demonstrating wood-firing techniques and offering pottery experiences, the park also collaborates with local schools and communities to promote 'one-day apprenticeships' and outdoor education. Through a system of support during agricultural off-seasons, it fosters a 'one township, one characteristic' cultural tourism cycle. With the rise of cultural and creative industries and the promotion of local revitalization since 2002, Tianzhong Kiln has actively marketed itself through domestic and international exhibitions, integrating local agricultural tourism to establish the 'Tianzhong Kiln Creative Park' brand. The park spans approximately 6,000 ping (about 1.98 hectares), and the annual 'Tianzhong Marathon' is a major highlight. Finishers receive an 'A-Cao' trophy designed by Yeh Chih-Cheng, embodying agricultural imagery, which further enhances the reputation of Tianzhong as the 'Home of Rice.' The park's base is located in Sanmin Community, where the two parties collaborated to create the 'Kiln-Fired Cat Community.' Inspired by the legend of cats driving away rats, they used colored pottery, bas-reliefs, and three-dimensional installations to create lively and narrative-rich alleyways. Within Sanmin Community, the famous 'Husband and Wife Trees' are a pair of century-old Bischofia javanica trees, standing only dozens of meters apart, resembling partners watching over each other. The surrounding area has been planned as a recreational park, complete with an ecological pond and pottery installations, allowing visitors to connect with nature. Every spring, Tianzhong Kiln also hosts the 'Sea of Flowers Art Festival.' During the blooming season of large hollyhock fields, the park offers family-friendly activities such as a cultural and creative crafts market and music performances, embodying a unique rural romantic atmosphere. The biggest highlight of Tianzhong Kiln is its wood-fired anagama kiln, constructed from tens of thousands of refractory bricks. It requires long hours of burning firewood, during which flying ash covers the pottery pieces, forming natural ash glaze and showcasing a warm, rustic beauty. In addition to creating daily utensils like teapots and cups, the park also extends its wood-firing techniques to large-scale landscape and public art. Embodying the five key aspects of 'people, culture, place, industry, and landscape,' Tianzhong Kiln employs three main strategies—'talent cultivation,' 'product creation,' and 'landscape development'—to elevate pottery into the core of local sentiment and aesthetics. Visitors to Tianzhong Township can experience diverse activities such as wheel throwing, clay sculpting, mud dyeing, and wood firing, stroll through the painted alleys of Cat Village, savor local rice dishes, or linger amidst the vibrant hollyhocks of the Sea of Flowers Art Festival. The Tianzhong Marathon and local markets also evoke a strong sense of local hospitality and charm. From the kiln workshops to the scenic rice fields, what Tianzhong Kiln has accumulated is not merely the energy of a personal brand, but also the cultural and industrial revitalization of the entire rural township. Here, wood firing and rice paddies perfectly blend, bearing witness to the continuous unfolding of Tianzhong's most moving stories.