In 1517, Portuguese sailors caught sight of an island off the east coast of mainland China while on their way to Japan. Captivated by the beauty of its green forests and mountains, they dubbed the land “Ilha Formosa,” which means beautiful island. For centuries afterward, Taiwan was identified on Western maps as Formosa.
In 1624, the Dutch landed in southwestern Taiwan near present-day Tainan City and built Fort Zeelandia (now known as Anping Fort) to use the island as their international maritime trading base as well as a center for Christian missionary efforts. The consequent meeting of indigenous peoples, Han Chinese and the Western traders and missionaries signaled the beginning of Taiwan’s modern history. The Dutch occupation of the island ended in 1662.
Then, in 1871, Scottish photographer John Thomson (1837–1921) sailed from Xiamen, mainland China to Taiwan to explore and take photographs. He carried heavy equipment for making wet plate glass negatives and traveled throughout Tainan and Kaohsiung in the south for more than one month. The photos that he took included the plains-dwelling indigenous peoples and their villages as well as landscapes of the coastline, rivers and ports, and are the earliest photographic images of Taiwan still in existence today. Those glass negatives have been conserved at the Wellcome Library in the United Kingdom.
As this year marks the centenary of the founding of the Republic of China (ROC), the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) has organized a photography exhibition titled Eye of the Times—Centennial Images of Taiwan to chronicle Taiwan’s historical transitions and great changes over time, starting with those early images taken by Thomson. The exhibition, which runs until June 26 this year, showcases more than 240 works created by 117 domestic and foreign photographers over three periods—the Chinese Qing court era (1684–1895), Japanese colonial era (1895–1945) and ROC era (1945–present).
Pulling Teeth. George Leslie Mackay, front left, was the first overseas missionary sent by the Canada Presbyterian Church to Taiwan. He arrived on the island in 1871 and moved to Danshui in 1872, where he lived until his death in 1901. Mackay started a dentistry practice among lowland aborigines and later established churches, schools and a hospital practicing Western medicine. The photo was taken between 1880 and 1900 in Danshui District of today’s New Taipei City by an unknown photographer. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
Wu Kwang-tyng, director of TFAM, says the photos on display feature many of the ethnic groups who have lived on the island during the past 140 years, including aborigines, Chinese mainlanders, Hakka people, foreign missionaries and recent immigrants from Southeast Asia. The works also cut across socio-economic classes, ranging from people such as the prominent Lin family from Wufeng District, Taichung City in central Taiwan to ordinary folks in everyday street scenes. In addition, viewers can gain a sense of local residents’ daily life, dress and religious beliefs, as well as their living environment and folk culture during different times. Scenes from major events including popular protests and natural disasters are also presented.
“These diverse images, which vividly illustrate the lives of average people on the island during different eras, can help us define and reflect on history,” Wu says. “They also trigger collective memories of local people and link the living experiences of the past with the present.”
Wu says the museum began to include photographs in its collection in 1991, which has since become an important national repository of photographic works. Of the 247 photographs exhibited in the show, 67 are from the museum’s own collection, while 180 are on loan from institutions and individuals throughout Taiwan and around the world.
According to TFAM, the title Eye of the Times refers to the “mechanical eye” of the camera, the photographer’s perspective on the world and even their “inner eye” that expresses their feelings on a subject. In this sense, the images on display both objectively document and subjectively convey a variety of aspects of life in Taiwan during different eras.
Senior Taiwanese photographers Chuang Ling and Chang Tsang-sang were invited to co-curate the exhibition. Chuang says he and Chang made an effort to locate and select photographs that could best represent Taiwan’s transformation over time, a task for which they tried to balance works of human interest, social change, aesthetics and creativity. They also took into consideration the amount of background information available for each work, such as if the photographer was known and where and when the photos were taken.
An Aboriginal Mother and Child, Formosa was taken by John Thomson in 1871. (© Wellcome Library)
In a few cases, the author of the work could not be identified, but the image was included because of its historical or other importance. “The photos selected not only bear historic significance in documenting the lives of the island’s early inhabitants and local social and cultural changes, but they also have artistic value by revealing the creative energy of those photographers and their respect for life and concern for the environment,” Chuang says. “We hope these images can help people better understand Taiwan while they appreciate the art of photography.”
The exhibition also shows how photographic techniques have progressed in Taiwan from wet or dry glass plate formats in the early days, to rolls of film and on to today’s digital cameras. It also showcases the diverse forms of photographic expression that have evolved over the years to include documentary photography, photojournalism, photo installations and 360-degree digital works, among others.
Co-curator Chang Tsang-sang says the lifting of martial law and the repealing of bans on the establishment of newspapers and political parties in the late 1980s stimulated the domestic art scene and supported the diversification of photography in Taiwan. Hence, the exhibition also includes an area that showcases unique images of fine art photography or artistic expression, the people of Orchid Island and portraits.
Xichang Street, Wanhua shows a crowded street scene in Wanhua, Taipei in the 1890s by an unknown photographer. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
In particular, Chang says there is significant coverage of members of various indigenous tribes. Of those some 40 images, 11 were taken by Japanese anthropologist Torii Ryuzo (1870–1953), who visited Taiwan four times between 1896 and 1900. He traveled to the homes of more than 10 aboriginal tribes across the island to conduct anthropological studies and take pictures. His approximately 800 original dry plate glass negatives are currently preserved at a research institute in Japan.
One other characteristic of the event, Chang says, is that he and Chuang have invited noted poets and writers including Yu Kuang-chung, Yang Mu and Huang Chun-ming to create poems and other writings based on the images. Their literary works accompany the photographs to enhance the content of the exhibition.
“These great photographs are displayed in chronological order to take the audience into a time tunnel to see how Taiwanese society has developed and become more open,” Chang says. “They also demonstrate the ability of the photographers to keep a record of our lives while expressing their artistry and perspective through the lens. One of our goals is to help photography gain wider recognition as an artistic discipline.”
A Lesser Wife of the Lin Family. Posing in front of her quarters, the lady’s rank can be identified by her bound feet and delicately colored blouse. The Lin family migrated from southern Fujian in 1746 to Wufeng, Taichung in central Taiwan and wielded considerable influence over business, military and political interests. The photo was taken by Lin Tsao (1881–1953) between 1905 and 1910. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
A Gathering of Literati, a group portrait of Lin family members, friends, neighbors and poets in the family’s garden, was taken by Lin Tsao between 1905 and 1910. Today, the Lin Garden of Wufeng offers a window on Taiwan’s fascinating past and is one of the most valued historical sites in central Taiwan. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
Lin Wang the Elephant. Photographer Lang Ching-shan (1892–1995) took this photo in Kaohsiung in 1947. Lin Wang was an Asian elephant that served with the Chinese Expeditionary Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) and later relocated to Taiwan with the Kuomintang forces. Lin Wang lived out most of his life in the Taipei Zoo and became the most popular and famous animal in Taiwan. He died in 2003 at the age of 86. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
Steam from the Engines. Steam locomotive engines loom over a solitary figure in this image by Cheng Sang-hsi taken in Keelung, northern Taiwan in 1959. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
A Bicycle Parade on the President’s Birthday documents a parade held to celebrate the birthday of former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek. The photo was taken by an unknown photographer in Dajia District, Taichung in the 1960s. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
People and the Land was taken by Juan I-jong in Mudan Township, Pingtung County, southern Taiwan in 1986. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
Until We Meet Again! Spring and Autumn Pavilions is a work by mixed-media artist Wu Tien-chang created in 1993. Wu is known for works that ponder Taiwanese identity. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
Boat Launching Ceremony of the Tao People. Photographer Huang Ting-sheng captures a traditional boat launching ceremony on outlying Orchid Island in 2001. (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
The Mute Couple, an image by Chien Yun-ping taken in 1984 that captures a couple from Taipei City who are both mute (Photo Courtesy of Taipei Fine Arts Museum)
Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw