Taiwan’s first aerial documentary featuring an array of stunning landscapes is set to hit the big screen Nov. 1 as part of efforts by a renowned aerial photographer and director to raise public awareness of environmental issues and sustainable development.
“Beyond Beauty-Taiwan from Above,” the debut feature-length documentary by Chi Po-lin, founder of Taiwan Aerial Imaging Inc., gives audiences a view of Taiwan from an angle never before seen.
“Taiwan is the only place for me to film because I have developed a romantic relationship with the land and its people,” Chi said during the film’s introduction. “Through my personal experiences and passion, I hope the audience will see the real Taiwan and better understand my homeland.”
Produced by award-winning Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-hsien and narrated by renowned local scriptwriter and film director Wu Nien-jen, the 90-minute film spotlights Taiwan’s beauty, offers a wide-angle view of the natural environment, and shows a clear picture of the impact of overdevelopment.
According to Chi, his love of aerial filmmaking took off in 1990 when he entered the civil service with the Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. “I was responsible for taking aerial photos of the construction of highways and this fitted perfectly with my hobbies of photography and flying.”
Chi, who made the remarks at an Aug. 16 news conference promoting the release of a DVD featuring 24 short documentaries made from over 400,000 pictures taken through the years, is recognized for his expertise in aerial filming by government and foreign filmmakers. This made him a point man on several large-scale projects, including making a film in 2010 on ROC centennial celebrations. Included in the footage were the first-ever aerial images of New Year’s Eve fireworks at Taipei 101, which were rebroadcast by U.S. cable TV network CNN.
The aerial film enthusiast was also in charge of filming Yushan National Park for Japan’s national public broadcasting organization NHK; capturing footage of Taipei 101 for Siemens Group of Germany; and shooting outlying Penghu County for French public television.
Inspired by his wide range of filming projects, Chi said he long sought to make the perfect film on Taiwan. “But it is hard to tell the stories of this country with static images. This is why I developed the idea of doing an aerial feature film on Taiwan.”
Further inspiration came while filming the post-disaster landscape after Typhoon Morakot lashed Taiwan in 2009. “I looked around and thought such a documentary would be a special way of showing my love for the country,” he said.
But preparations for filming did not go smoothly in the beginning as it proved challenging to track down funds for such an ambitious project. Fortunately Taipei City-based Delta Electronics Foundation elected to help finance the production and play a central role in making Chi’s dream come true.
After quitting his government job three years ago, Chi set up a full-time production team dedicated solely to the film project. They spent 400 flying hours in a helicopter and NT$90 million (US$3 million) on the production.
The symmetric beauty of oyster beds in Tainan County is seen from the air.
“The geometric landscape of oyster beds, magnificent Kaohsiung Harbor and tea farms in the mountains offer a bird’s eye view of how beautiful Taiwan is,” Chi said. “But the underlying message is that these images are also proof of our overdevelopment of the land.
“A fish farm may look astonishing from above, but it is also the main cause for overpumping ground water, which inevitably leads to land subsidence, Chi said. “I have conflicting emotions knowing that fish farms harm nature, yet help people make a living.”
Another example is people growing betel nuts, tea leaves and wasabi at different elevations on Alishan Mountain, Chi said.
“Many of the high-profile disasters that occur in Taiwan are linked to short-sighted development in the mountains. What lies behind industry development is the vicious cycle of deforestation and soil depletion caused by human activity.”
Chi said he is deeply touched when seeing Taiwan well-developed by the diligent and industrious people living on the island, but fears this might have gone too far in the mountains and coastal areas.
“Many people ask me where they can find the most beautiful places in Taiwan. I always tell them it is where no people or roads can be found.” (RC-JSM)
Write to Rachel Chan at ccchan@mofa.gov.tw