The journey to Zhang Xu Zhan’s studio is like a retreat from the urban jungle of skyscrapers, motorbikes, and non-stop traffic in Taipei City. One passes through the outskirts of Xinzhuang’s Siwei Market, an area of western New Taipei City populated by hardware shops, kám-á-tiàm mom-and-pop shops, a few factories, several colorful murals, and a junior high school. Then one crosses in front of the Zhaode Temple, dedicated to Matsu, the goddess of the sea and patron deity of fishermen and sailors—a reminder of the early 18th-century migration and settlement in this area along the Dahan River. As I arrive at the unassuming apartment building that houses Zhang Xu’s studio, he greets me and lifts up a mesh curtain along with a heavy black one as I leave my shoes outside.