Coming from a family of renowned lacquer artists, it wasn’t easy for Lai Hsin-you to live up to his father’s and grandfather’s reputations. The Lai family specialized in Japanese urushi, which had been in decline in Taiwan’s art circles. He needed to diversify while staying true to the age-old art form. An old friend visited him with an ingenious idea: crafting urushi accessories. The serendipity opened up brand-new possibilities for Lai and ended up strengthening his resolve to make urushi.