踏溯台南

踏溯台南

文學院 通識教育課程

Exploring the Old Industries of Tainan City

Route Introduction

Quan-Xing Tatami Store

No. 46 Xin-Mei Street, Central-Western District, Tainan Cit

   Tatami is the Chinese term from the Japanese pronunciation of たたみ, 畳 is its Kanji character. Most tatamis are paved on the floor, so in Japan, the space of a room is usually measured by the number of tatamis paved. One piece of tatami is called a tatami, and six tatamis are the commonest size for a room. The founder of the store, Mr. JinShui, Li, learned the skills from Maste Okada from Japan. After World War II, he came back to Xin-Mei Street and started Quan-Xing Tatami Store. He has virtually witnessed how tatami has been replaced by a sponge mattress and how the market dwindled. Fortunately, his grandson Zong-Xun, Li, is willing to stick to the old traditional handicraft and has inherited the store since.