Yeh Ken-chuang

Yeh Ken-chuang (, Taiwanese: Ia̍p Kun-tsòng, 31 July 1932 – 23 July 2014) was a Taiwanese master carpenter, woodcarver, and expert in traditional Taiwanese architecture from Magong. He was known as "Master Chuang" within the carpentry community in Taiwan.

Early life Yeh Ken-chuang was born 31 July 1932 in Magong, Penghu, Taiwan. He was born into a family of woodworkers from Kinmen; although his branch of the family moved to Penghu in the early 1600s. His father, Yeh Tung, was a carpenter who mostly built residences.

Career Yeh Ken-chuang became the fifth generation of his family to choose woodworking as a profession. However, his work differed from traditional construction because he incorporated reinforced concrete which could survive much longer than wood. In 2010, the government of Penghu County certified Yeh Ken-chuang as a preservationist of traditional timber framing techniques.

Personal life Yeh Ken-chuang lived and worked in the area of Penghu to be close to his family.

Yeh Ken-chuang and his wife died in the TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crash near Magong Airport in Huxi, Penghu, Taiwan, on 23 July 2014, at the age of 81.

Honors The government nominated Yeh Ken-chuang as a preserver of large-scale carpentry skills in 2010, the first step in becoming a "Living National Treasure". The final evaluation for the award was scheduled on 29 July 2014, six days after his death.

President Ma Ying-jeou announced that the Bureau of Cultural Heritage would preserve Yeh Ken-chuang's records and documents on his timber framing techniques.