HOME >SOUTHERN TAIWAN >TAINAN&CHIAYI> SHOPPING >

FYI SOUTH Magazine, May 2003. VOL.3 ISSUE 5

Chiayi Aboriginal Arts & Crafts Store 1037, MiTuo Road, Chiayi City Hours: 5 pm-11 pm (approx.)

        Sala, a 40-year-old Aboriginal man from the Alishan area, runs the Chiayi Aboriginal Arts & Crafts Store, where he displays and sells handmade crafts, as well as serving Aboriginal dishes such as grilled wild pig strips and rice wine. Sala was born in a mountain village but he now makes his home in Chiayi City. The store--more like a rural barn than a city shopping emporium--doesn't have a telephone or even set opening hours, but it's usually open from 5 pm to around 11 pm on a daily basis, says Sala. Items for sale include bamboo flutes, bamboo serving trays, purses and jewelry, plus hats, scarves and T-shirts with Aboriginal designs. "We get a lot of tourists dropping by," says Sala, who also plays the guitar inside the shop when he's not busy. "We sometimes get customers who find us just by chance as they're driving by on their way to somewhere else!"