(Photo: Hakka TV)
Chinese Name: 謝其煚
Born: 1934
Birthplace: Miaoli County (Northern Taiwan)
Hsieh Chi-chiung, born 1934 in Miaoli,
lost his father to illness and was brought up by his grandfather and his
mother. Times were hard for Hsieh growing up, but he was diligent and after
graduating from high school, he worked for the Miaoli County Government as a
forestry promotion officer in charge of saplings and coastal afforestation. As
he frequently visited mountains and coastal areas in his line of work, Hsieh
and his colleagues co-purchased a camera for use. He began to record the
comings and goings of the local folk, fully immersing in the joy of
photography.
In 1972, Hsieh joined the Photographic
Society of Taipei, and picked up new knowledge with regard to photography from
the society’s magazine. He participated in the monthly photography contest, and
fell short at the start which prompted Hsieh to take a trip to Taipei to
witness the judging process. Observing that the judging was fair and objective,
Hsieh realized his photographs were not as good as the others, but he seized
each opportunity to practice and improve on his technique.
He slowly improved his skills, and
took on the role of official photographer for the county news. In 1975, he set
up the Miaoli Photo Society, assuming the role of director-general. His vision
was to capture the sights and sounds of the local townsfolk in black and white
photography, which was unique for its vividness. As the society grew and
established a name for itself, Hsieh felt there was a need to place emphasis on
exhibitions and publications. In 1991, together with the senior members of the
society, Hsieh set up the Hard-neck Photography Group, which held annual black
and white photography exhibitions portraying the images of Miaoli’s Hakka
villages.
Growing up as a farm boy, his family
and his daily life made for excellent material. Hsieh especially enjoyed
capturing the moments of hard agricultural labor – the water buffalo, an icon
of his childhood memories which were spent almost entirely with the animal,
became a prime model for his photography. Hsieh thus headed down to the
villages to capture images of water buffaloes.
Hsieh’s
neighbor, Li Chi-chung (李集忠), was a subject of his
photographs for more than 15 years. Though Li never attended a day of school,
and was a farmhand until the age of 92, his magnanimous and diligent image made
Li a constant source of Hsieh’s photography.
From 2009 onwards, Hsieh continued to
publish his photography works, including “Taiwanese
Buffalo (臺灣牛),” “Cultivators (耕種人)” “Hakka Women (客家婦人家),” “Village Idyll (鄉土情),” “Fragrance of Pickled Mustard Greens (福菜飄香),” “Ceramic Kiln (燒窯樂陶),” and “Handicraft Heritage (手藝薪傳).” His publication also included
photographs of the Old Mountain Line Rail, capturing the beautiful sights along
the trail along with the natural environment and the historical sites as it
changes over 50 years. On “Hakka Women,” Hsieh penned the following on the title page “I wish to
dedicate this publication in memory of my mother, who led a tough life, as well
as to my loving and supportive wife. I wish to express my deepest respect to
the traditional Hakka women.”
Through his photographic works, Hsieh
told many a story about the Hakka villages, recording the true emotions of each
character in his black and white photographs; an extension of the aesthetic
beauty of this land as well as the humility and passion towards life itself.
(Translator: James Loo
In collaboration with Fu Jen Catholic University, Department of English)