Guan Mei-Lian and her daughter are the winners of the 7th Dream Building Program for New Immigrants and their Children.
Guan is a teacher who teaches the Indonesian language. She often teaches Indonesian at different educational institutions. Guan is also dedicated to promoting the Indonesian culture.
Guan and her daughter Liou Yu-Jen designed batik clothing. And was chosen into the 7th Dream Building Program for New Immigrants and their Children.
According to Dharma Trading Co., Batik is wax-resist fiber art. Hot wax is applied to fabric in a design. The wax serves as a resist, preventing the dye from reaching the fabric where it was applied. This technique can be applied in layers with different colors.
The NIA Global News for immigrants reporter interviewed Guan Mei-Lian, read Guan’s story below.
Because Guan’s family runs a textile business, Guan says she is familiar with clothing production and sales. And as a child, she had a soft spot for batik clothing. Later on, her family ceased their business. And Guan mentions, thanks to the support from her Taiwanese family, she can continue making her favorite batik clothing in her spare time.
Guan is also familiar with all kinds of fabric. Guan shares, Batik is a very old and important dyeing technique in Indonesia. And different islands have patterns on the cloth. For example, most of the patterns on the Bali Island are temples, and most of the patterns on the Java Island are animals and flowers.
Guan smiles and says she likes the patterns in the Jakarta area the best. Because they usually have bright colors and look lively. This is similar to how Guan Mei-Lian makes people feel about her.
Guan Mei-Lian is close to her daughter Liou Yu-Jen. They often speak in Indonesian, and Liou is also interested in the Indonesian culture. In the past, Guan and her daughter often return to Indonesian for one to two months. Liou is very familiar with the culture and life in Indonesia.
In 2019, Guan and her daughter learned how to make batik clothing from a professional at the Java island in Indonesia. Although many tutorial videos on the internet, Guan thinks that it is important to learn the batik technique from where it originated.
Guan is now considering opening her batik clothing store. Guan is not bound to the past and keeps on following her dreams. Guan says she hopes to let more and more Taiwanese people try on the traditional Indonesian clothing.
Guan says, “In the past when I wear my batik on the street, people would cast a cold eye at me. But that was in the past, I always receive compliments from people around me.”
