Liuligongfang(a)|华丽转身?『琉璃工房』两岸穿梭 25 年

Liuligongfang: Two Decades of

Cross-Strait Experience

Founded 25 years ago in Tamsui, Liuligongfang (Liuli) began establishing itself in China in 1996. Ignoring early warnings that its venture would come to a bad end, the art studio has prospered. It now operates 49 galleries in China, has diversified into food, beverages, and other businesses, employs 1,100 people worldwide, and has annual revenues of roughly NT$1.1 billion. Liuli's capabilities have blossomed as vigorously as the peony, turning it into Asia's premier creative-cultural venture.

After 15 years of shuttling back and forth between Taipei and Shanghai, CEO Chang Yi and co-founder Loretta Yang feel they have finally "come home" as they prepare for the opening of the Liuli Taipei restaurant in Taipei's Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. Chang's feelings run particularly deep as he revisits his memories of leaving Taipei, a city that had everything, for the unfamiliar and at that time undeveloped Shanghai.

Chang says it took Liuligongfang three and a half years to develop its lost-wax casting techniques. Once it had done so, it had to work on building its brand through major exhibitions. Once the brand had a name, the company bought a second factory site in Tamsui. They didn't realize that their site had been zoned for the residential Danhai New Township, restricting their ability to build.

Just as their expansion plans in Taiwan ground to a halt, China opened its arms. Chang, who as a teenager had wondered whether China would become good, realized that there would be no turning back for China since it had decided to open up to the rest of the world. He reasoned further that if he wanted to work in the cultural sphere, he needed to quit complaining and get on with it.

华丽转身?『琉璃工房』两岸穿梭 25 年

25年，1996 年前进大陆，从被警告『将死无葬身之地』，到如今在全中国大陆蓬勃发展，目前已有 49 家艺廊，并跨足餐饮等多角经营，全球员工 1,100 人，营业额约新台币 11 亿元。琉璃工房劲烈演出的能量，不输牡丹，已是亚洲最具代表性的文创产业。

　　执行长张毅和共同创办人杨惠姗为台北松山文化创意园区刚开幕的『Liuli Taipei』餐厅奔走，往返台北与上海两地，15年后重新回家，他们的感慨更深，那一段抛下台湾所有，到一个陌生城市从无到有的过程，历历在目。

　　张毅说，琉璃工房成立 3 年半后终于研发出脱腊铸造技术，需以大型展览来建立品牌形象，当时买下淡水场址扩建二期厂房，没想到土地被划入『淡海新市镇』而限建。

　　扩厂陷入胶着之际，大陆却展开双手欢迎。十几岁时就在问『中国会不会变好』的张毅想通了，中国改革开放的路是回不了头的。他自己进一步想，既然做文化，不能光抱怨，就去做吧！