Getting Wood to Talk (1)

Meet a sculptor who carves powerful nature scenes

For the first half of his life, Chang Ching kept his artistic pursuits in the background. He spent his days working as an optometrist in Dounan Township while restricting his bonsai-related activities to his leisure time. On weekends and in spare moments, Chang searched through the mountains and valleys of Taiwan for miniature trees and rocks. Little did he know those mountain landscapes would play a key role in the second half of his life.

On September 11, 1984, Chang heard a voice in a dream telling him to pursue sculpture, assuring him that he would be successful within two years.

Believing he had heard from God, Chang set out to become a professional sculptor, making a radical career shift in middle age.

Formal training 
After only about a year of carving wooden figures, Chang was invited to hold an exhibition at Yunlin County Cultural Center. But the self-taught artist wasn't satisfied, and he sought to become an apprentice to internationally known sculptor Yang Yu-yu. Initially , the prominent teacher turned Chang away based on his age but later accepted the novice sculptor as his student.

Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: High Mountains or Tall Mountains? 「高」山的學問
要形容一座山很高可以用high也可以用tall,
但如果你是geographer 地理學家的話,
high 跟 tall 就有差別了,
high 是指海拔, 高度是從海平面算起, 全世界最high 的山是Mount Everest,
tall 是指山腳算起的高度


Grammar Gym
He spent his days working as an optometrist in Dounan Township while restricting his bonsai-related activities to his leisure time.
[Subject[ spent his/her [time] [doing something] while restricting his/her [activity] to [another time].
- Aaron spends his weekdays rehearsing for the big performance while restricting his hobbies to weekends.
- Becky spends her mornings and afternoons studying for the exam while restricting her entertainment to her evening hours.

Language Lab
sculptor n.
/ˈskʌlptɚ/
someone who makes sculptures
- Picasso was not only a painter, he was also a sculptor.
sculpt v.
/ˈskʌlpt/
to make (something) by carving or molding clay, stone, etc. : to make (a sculpture)
- The sculptor sculpted a full-size replica of a hound.
sculpture n.
/ˈskʌlptʃɚ/
a piece of art that is made by carving or molding clay, stone, metal, etc.
- sculptures of Adam and Eve

hound n.
a dog which is fast and has a good sense of smell, used for hunting

miniature adj.
very small: tiny
- The miniature house is handmade.
- The miniature golf course attracts many visitors.
miniature n.
exactly like something or someone but much smaller:
- I have a detailed miniature of the Eiffel Tower.

apprentice n.
someone who works for an employer for a fixed period of time in order to learn a particular skill or job:
- Bobby is one of this famous baker's apprentices.
apprentice to
- Chelsea started off as an apprentice to this fashion designer.
apprentice v.
- Eric was apprenticed to the mechanic when he was 17.

novice n.
someone who has no experience in a skill, subject, or activity [= beginner]:
- Molly has never cooked before, so she's a complete novice.
novice at
- I'm a novice at driving.
- Sarah is a novice reporter.

mms://203.69.69.81/studio/20140917baae340c0d8c60adb7772968ffa16789490054e9fc6bcbfb04da4e759a02ad95405.wma