Tainan Kuang Tsai Embroidery Shop

Lonely Planet review

Across from one treasure of Tainan, the War God Temple, is this other, Mr Lin, one of the last remaining embroidery masters in Tainan. Mr Lin has been working at his craft since he was 16 (he's in his late 60s now) and in recent years has taken the craft to a new, modern level. All his pieces have the light touch and expressiveness of a craftsman truly at the peak of his skills.

The most famous and expensive samples of his work are the long Eight Immortals panels, which used to be popular at weddings and other special occasions. Such panels cost tens of thousands of Taiwanese dollars but this doesn't stop buyers from all over the world coming to the shop. Smaller pieces can be purchased for a few thousand, and even browsers are more than welcome, as the sign outside the shop says.