范真撰文：糖火島語——杜煥與長洲的當代傳藝

摘要：杜煥，出生於香港長洲，一個充滿漁村風情與傳統信仰的小島。被譽為「長洲隱世吹糖人」，亦是傳統糖塑技藝的當代表達者。他不僅守護兩項國家級非物質文化遺產——糖雕與竹紮，更透過當代藝術語彙，為逐漸失落的人情工藝注入新生命。他的創作不只是手藝的延續，更是對「人情」、「社

范真撰文：糖火島語——杜煥與長洲的當代傳藝

Written by Chun Fan：Island of Sugared Fire – Louis To Wun and the Contemporary Transmission of Heritage on Cheung Chau

杜煥，出生於香港長洲，一個充滿漁村風情與傳統信仰的小島。被譽為「長洲隱世吹糖人」，亦是傳統糖塑技藝的當代表達者。他不僅守護兩項國家級非物質文化遺產——糖雕與竹紮，更透過當代藝術語彙，為逐漸失落的人情工藝注入新生命。他的創作不只是手藝的延續，更是對「人情」、「社群」、「島嶼記憶」的深情回應。

Louis To Wun was born on Cheung Chau, a small Hong Kong island steeped in fishing village traditions and folk beliefs. Hailed as the “Hidden Sugar Figurine Master of Cheung Chau,” he is a contemporary interpreter of the traditional Chinese arts of sugar sculpture and bamboo crafting—both recognized as national intangible cultural heritage. Not merely a preserver of disappearing crafts, To revitalizes these arts through a contemporary artistic vocabulary, breathing new life into vanishing traditions. His creations are not just extensions of craft—they are heartfelt responses to human warmth, community, and island memory.

從畫室走進世界舞台的年輕藝術家

From Studio to Global Stage

進入90年代，杜煥與幾位年輕藝術家在南丫島共居創作。他的作品爆發出強烈的色彩能量與空間張力，結合東西方繪畫語彙，展現出鮮明的個人風格。自1992年起連續三年獲得Philippe Charriol Foundation 現代藝術比賽優異獎，1998年舉行首個人展，之後更代表香港參展紐約PS1 MoMA「Inside Out：New Chinese Art」與英國大英博物館。2004年，他與摯友黃志淙共同創辦藝術音樂空間 Sense 99，讓音樂、影像、繪畫與思想交會成為香港另類文化的地下心臟。

In the 1990s, To shared a creative commune with fellow young artists on Lamma Island. His works burst with chromatic energy and spatial tension, fusing Eastern and Western visual languages into a distinct personal style. From 1992 to 1994, he consecutively won the Award of Excellence from the Philippe Charriol Foundation Modern Art Competition. In 1998, he held his first solo exhibition and went on to represent Hong Kong at PS1 MoMA’s Inside Out: New Chinese Art in New York and the British Museum in the UK.In 2004, he co-founded Sense 99 with his close friend Rupert Wong—a hybrid space for music, video, painting, and critical thought, which became the underground heartbeat of Hong Kong’s alternative culture.

吹糖復興之路的孤獨起點

A Lonely Path to Reviving Sugar Blowing

2009年，杜煥為了讓女兒了解自己童年記憶中的「糖人」，決定重拾吹糖藝術。然而當他開始尋找老師時，卻發現這門技藝已在城市中失傳，無師可尋。他只得從零開始摸索——糖塊加熱過度變脆、低溫則無法塑形，每次試作都在徒勞與燙傷中結束。他曾回憶說：「最難不是吹龍，是捏龍尾，要在糖未冷卻前一氣呵成。」這句話不只是技術總結，更像是他整個吹糖之路的隱喻。

In 2009, hoping to share with his daughter the childhood memory of sugar-blown figurines, To decided to revive the nearly lost art of sugar blowing. But he soon realized that no masters remained in the city—it had vanished. Without a teacher, he had to start from scratch. Sugar overheated became brittle; underheated, unshapable. Each experiment ended in burns and failure.He once recalled: “The hardest part isn't blowing the dragon—it’s pinching the tail. You have to do it in one go before the sugar cools.” That phrase is not only a summary of technique—it’s a metaphor for his entire journey.

創新中尋找傳統的語法

Innovating the Language of Tradition

沒有傳統配方，他就自己煮糖測試溫度與可塑性，開發低糖、高透明度的健康糖料。為使糖人不再只是展示品，他研發讓兒童也能參與創作的低溫技術，並以天然植物色素代替傳統人工染料，使糖藝成為真正的「親子文化體驗」。

他的吹糖示範走入學校、社區、博物館、品牌活動，甚至登上TED舞台與Tatler Asia專訪，也因此獲得「Hong Kong Sugarman」的稱號。

Without traditional recipes, To developed his own formula—experimenting with sugar temperatures and plasticity, ultimately creating a healthier, low-sugar, high-transparency material. To transform sugar figurines from mere display pieces into participatory art, he invented a low-temperature technique safe for children, and replaced chemical dyes with natural plant-based pigments.His demonstrations now appear in schools, community centres, museums, branded events, and even on the TED stage and in Tatler Asia. These efforts have earned him the nickname “Hong Kong Sugarman.”

竹紮藝術的極限挑戰

Pushing the Boundaries of Bamboo Craft

太平清醮是長洲最盛大的民間節慶，其中最具代表性的便是「麒麟巡遊」。杜煥受邀參與領頭麒麟製作，但首年作品因雨水滲入而塌毀。他深知要讓這門技藝走向未來，不能僅靠仿古，而需技術革新。他潛心研究結構與材質，從建築角度重構骨架，並發明出耐水紙料，在2015年親自將麒麟帶入海中測試。他說：「傳統，不是供奉，而是使用。」

Cheung Chau’s Tai Ping Ching Chiu festival—the island’s most celebrated folk event—features the iconic “Kirin Parade.”To was invited to create the lead Kirin figure. Yet his first attempt collapsed in the rain due to water damage. He realized that for tradition to move forward, it couldn’t merely replicate the past—it needed innovation.Delving into structural design and materials science, he reconstructed the bamboo skeleton through architectural logic and invented water-resistant paper. In 2015, he personally carried the Kirin into the sea to test its durability. His philosophy: “Tradition is not for worship—it’s for use.”

讓飄色不只是傳統，更是劇場

Beyond Tradition: Making Piu Sik into Theatre

在每年太平清醮的「飄色」巡遊中，杜煥也肩負文化策展人的角色。他不只是幫忙搭建架台，更是角色設定的創作者——挑選題材、撰寫故事、設計服裝。他堅信：「飄色不是做俾遊客睇，是做俾祖先睇、俾社區人睇，是讓小孩知道自己來自哪裡。」他的指導不只是技巧，更是一場有關身體與記憶的教學。他親自教導小孩如何用眼神與肢體演出角色神韻，讓飄色不僅是「飄」，而是「演」。

Each year during the Piu Sik (Floating Colours) parade of the same festival, To also takes on the role of cultural curator. Beyond building floats, he conceptualizes characters, selects themes, writes narratives, and designs costumes. He insists:“Piu Sik isn’t for tourists—it’s for our ancestors and our community. It tells children where they come from.” His guidance is more than technical—it’s an embodied pedagogy. He teaches children to act not only with body but with eyes, transforming the float into a stage, and “floating” into performance.

將非遺變為當代藝術語言

Turning Intangible Heritage into Contemporary Art

如今，杜煥的創作跨越繪畫、雕塑、街頭演示、裝置藝術與電影——他曾在Christopher Doyle的《Hong Kong Trilogy》中出演角色，並與自己的竹雕共舞；他的竹雕《San Syu Wat Leot ARE NOT HERE!》於2022年Art Central亮相，結合立體派繪畫技法與竹工程，震撼業界。他是第一位將抽象繪畫語言成功轉譯進竹雕創作的藝術家，作品既是雕塑，也是可閱讀的文化詩篇。他的客戶包括 Louis Vuitton、學校、社區、特殊教育團體；他自己則繼續以 Sugarman 與 Louis To Wun 雙重身份，在街角與舞台之間說故事。

Today, Louis To Wun’s practice spans painting, sculpture, street performance, installation, and film. He appeared in Christopher Doyle’s Hong Kong Trilogy, dancing alongside his bamboo sculpture. His 2022 work San Syu Wat Leot ARE NOT HERE! debuted at Art Central, merging Cubist painting techniques with bamboo engineering—astonishing the art world.He is the first artist to translate the abstract language of painting into bamboo sculpture, creating works that are both physical structures and cultural poems. His clients range from Louis Vuitton to schools, communities, and special education groups.To continues storytelling as both “Sugarman” and “Louis To Wun”—bridging street corners and theatre stages.

藝術不是遺產，是生活本身

Art Is Not Heritage—It Is Life

杜煥不曾「繼承」任何一門技藝，他只是從生命經驗中，把它們「記住」然後「再造」。吹糖是回憶，竹紮是信仰，飄色是社群，而這一切，都是他手中構築的文化身體。他說：「傳承不是擁有，而是用身體講一次俾人聽。」而這一生，他就是那個不斷講故事的人——在糖化成形之前，在竹影晃動之時，在飄色升起之後。

To Wun never inherited any craft. He simply remembered and reimagined them through his life.Sugar blowing is memory.Bamboo crafting is faith.Piu Sik is community.Together, they form the cultural body shaped by his hands.He says: “To pass on a tradition isn’t to own it—it’s to tell it with your body.”And for his whole life, he has been that storyteller—Before the sugar hardens,As the bamboo shadows sway,After the floats rise into the sky.

展覽資訊

Exhibition Information

杜煥的藝術創作將於2025年5月21日至26日在香港視覺藝術中心舉行的《蠻·亭集序》展覽中展出。其中特別活動：《杜煥 — 長洲隱述》將於5月25日（星期日）下午3時舉行，跟隨杜煥探尋長洲島上隱秘往事，帶領觀眾穿梭在歷史與傳說之間，解鎖這片小島的文化密碼。

Louis To Wun’s works will be featured in the“Barbarian pavilion collection” exhibition at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre from May 21 to 26, 2025.A special event, “Louis To Wun – Hidden Stories of Cheung Chau. ”, will take place on Sunday, May 25 at 3:00 PM, guiding audiences through hidden histories and folklore of the island, unlocking its cultural codes in a poetic journey through time.