TAIWAN: "We all die one day, but antiques remain," says minister

. TAIPEI, Taiwan / Taipei Times / January 30, 2009 By Shih Hsiu-chuan, Staff Reporter Government Information Office Minister Su Jun-pin likes to collect antiques, especially items connected with Taiwanese folk culture. “We all die one day, but antiques remain. Antiques should be preserved and not destroyed just because people die,” Su said as he displayed dozens of his collection of molds used to make red sticky rice cakes, a popular Taiwanese treat at Lunar New Year and other festivals. The dough is dyed red for auspiciousness and pressed into a tortoise-shaped mold to create a shape akin to a turtle shell to symbolize longevity. Su started his collection 16 years ago, each with a story to tell. “This, the biggest one I have, I found by accident in Tainan. It cost me almost NT$10,000 and was used especially at temple fairs. My father bought this one for me, this one was given to me by my nanny, and I bought this from a scrap-collector for a very cheap price,” Su said as he showed off his treasured collection. He was attracted by the traditional and delicate designs on the molds, many of which are engraved with images of coins, fish, peaches and the Chinese character for longevity. “Last time I moved, it took a 3.5 tonne truck two trips to transport all of them,” he said. Copyright © 1999-2009 The Taipei Times.