It all began when my father got the first second-hand camera when he was a child. After the military discharge, Director Chi joined the National Highway Xindian Engineering Bureau and started shooting. At first, Director Chi obtained a good interview opportunity. Mr. Ou Jingde, the director of the bureau at that time, who is now the chairman of Chi Po-lin foundation. Mr. Ou asked my father, a student who studied engineering, if he was interested in engineering or any specific area, but Director Chi replied with “he didn't know much about it”. The director asked what he was interested in then? Director Chi Po-lin replied that he was very good at taking pictures. Director Ou just happened to lack a photographer. At that time, the threshold for photography was high, as the Engineering Bureau requires someone to record the project of the National Highway. At that time, it was rare to cooperate with a photographer for such a long time. Thus, Director Chi became an official photographer and he worked five to ten years to take pictures of highways. Director Chi also said that after getting on the helicopter and looking down, he would forget that he has acrophobia. In that era, few people took pictures from the air. Director Chi once expressed: “Looking at Taiwan from a different perspective, I fell in love with Taiwan from then on. I started to record diligently.” However, with the development of the national road project, it was at the period when Taiwan's economy took off. When the farmland transformed into a factory, the national road was built and it had dramatically changed the natural environment. Nevertheless, at the time, Director Chi did not wish to let the public witness the unattractive image of Taiwan, therefore avoiding taking pictures of natural disasters. After a while, the 921 earthquake caused him to record images of landslides and people suffering during the aerial photography process. It was at this moment that Director Chi realized that he should share everything he captured. Director Chi also realized the true issue of Taiwanese is the lack of attention to the problem, instead of not caring about society. At that time, there were tens of billions of Taiwanese donations for the earthquake. Thus, Director Chi played the role of Taiwanese’s eyes, displaying all sides of Taiwan to the public. After Typhoon Morakot and the destruction of Xiaolin Village, Director Chi made up his mind to produce "Beyond Beauty - TAIWAN FROM ABOVE".
There are numerous unforgettable memories while filming! My father told me about following the helicopter in Xiaolin Village on the second day of Typhoon Morakot. Director Chi originally wanted to take pictures of the downstream, but as the helicopter flew lower, the team found that it was full of driftwood. Director Chi then assumed that the upstream must be even worse. He flew above Xiaolin Village and it was raining, adding difficulty to the shoot. It was only after passing through the clouds that I saw the tragedy of the destruction of Xiaolin Village. Another memory is at the Changhua Roundhouse. Director Chi was going to take pictures of the Xueshan, formerly known as Mount Sylvia, but the team unfortunately encountered smog and bad weather. Director Chi then spent more than 200,000 yuan and flew for around two hours without taking any pictures of the Xueshan. On their way back, Director Chi took a picture of Changhua Roundhouse, later joked and called the picture “the most expensive photo I have ever taken”. Lastly, there is also the Zhuilu Ancient Road in Hualien and Taitung. He photographed a river that looks like a tree, but the grass next to it makes the stream look like a tree expanding on the ground. The Guandu Shuangxi River looks like a big heart on the outside surrounding a small heart inside. Director Chi thought the scenery was man-made landscaping, but, unexpectedly, it turned out to be a natural work! In short, unexpected and shocking sights are often encountered during aerial photography!
Most of them are Director Chi’s fans. At the beginning, they came because of Director Chi’s fame, but later found that these photographs contain meaningful meanings. It may also be that retired elders want to pursue self-accomplishment at the top of the pyramid, or students from nearby schools come to do internships and fall in love with photos of Taiwan. Digital collection and preservation are very important as all educational activities originate from photo collation, requiring professional collation. Moreover, Director Chi possessed 500,000 photos, including 100,000 films and 400,000 digital images. An engineer who retired expressed that he enjoyed the process of "tracing" by analyzing the details in the photo. The dedication and seriousness of each volunteer team is meaningful. Working in the Chi Po-lin foundation is not only about giving but also receiving, which Mr. Chi Ting-huan thanks to the continuous dedication and operation of each volunteer.
The foundation has always been asked if there is any benefit of the exhibitions or the educational project. In fact, it is difficult for the foundation to quantify. The elder told him that taking pictures is popular, however, after the foundation is established, it will lose its support as most people resist donating money. Thus, fundraising is the first difficulty of the foundation. Worried about the work of the foundation will not get everyone’s approval, which might result in the decline of the foundation. Also, manpower is also a concern of the foundation. Despite all difficulties, Mr. Chi Ting-Huan stated that the foundation will continue work on investment in social recognition and continue to work hard to overcome these difficulties.
In the previous summer vacation, there was a camping team of elementary school students. The activities included the environmental observation of the Tamsui River, written promotional materials and went to the mangroves to take pictures of the Kandelia obovata. The final results of photography were published. Surprised by the talent and unexpected results of children, passers-by are very supportive of the children, some even donate money to the children. Mr. Chi Ting-Huan said that the children’s speeches are vivid and thoughtful. The photos taken are incredible, demonstrating the limitless potential of children. Of course there were difficulties at the beginning, the difficulty level of the question is hard to measure as the age of the audience ranges from primary school to high school. For example, how to measure the acidity and alkalinity of rivers? Some students don’t have much knowledge about raising funds or environmental protection, while some students can explain the specific methods in depth. Therefore, Mr. Chi believed that education is a big challenge for a large age range.
The first point is the budget. When starting a company, you can arrange money in different areas. However, the foundation cannot keep much money in a year. In times of economic downturn, you can only keep emergency reserves as it is impossible to predict how many people will sponsor the foundation next year. Also, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a government agency, will have many regulations and examinations on the budget, limiting the utilization of the budget of the foundation.
The second point is that the staff turnover rate is higher than that of ordinary companies. It is impossible to fire people at any time or expand the company. Each employee will have to hold at least two jobs at the same time, maximizing the work efficiency. Last but not least, what keeps you working at the foundation when the pay isn't as good as everyone else's?
The third point is that the COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact on the foundation. There are more than 18,000 visitors in the exhibition hall in the second half of the year, but less than 5,000 in the first half of the year. At that time, many people couldn’t sustain it during the economic downfall. The foundation must find ways to produce various environmental education themes, and use our energy to maximize the benefits of digital collections. I am worried that if there is no support after five years, there will be no budget in an instant. In the end, it is never easy to find long-term sponsorship to support the ongoing project.
Currently there are 4 parts: First, Exhibition center, every year we spend five to eight million taiwanese dollars, changing themes from mountain, sea, river to cities. Exhibition center is a tourism bureau certified environmental education location. No matter if one wants to earn environmental education hours or learn new knowledge, everyone can visit the exhibition. In addition, the exhibition welcomes visitors of all ages, from elementary school students to adults. Second, the Taiwanese school movie tour plan, starting from last year, we’ve held one hundred and twenty sessions. For shorter sessions, we play beautiful Taiwanese documentaries, and for longer sessions, we play Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above. There will both be our employees to do analysis and sharing at both sessions. Furthermore, we have a collaboration program with Family mart, in which we held small environmental education lectures, hoping to make environmental education a less pressuring topic. About fifteen to forty people join the lecture, and their feedback is mostly positive. Third, Fly Over Environmental Record Award, to extend the spirit of Chi Po-lin director, we especially set an award for photography and documentary regarding the environment. The most memorable award acceptance is a photograph talking about whale problems. Also, we wish to make Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above 3, as we want to show people that Taiwan’s environmental problem is imminent, so it will be best to have more people to aid the project. Fourth, the volunteers, we have guide volunteers, environmental education project volunteers, digital file sorting volunteers and more. It’s their help and hard work that made this organization possible.
Back to our plan, our promotion method can be done with four parts of our plan. The exhibition center has always been one of our venues for education, and having a wide age range is a significant factor. Additionally, children lose interest in deep analysis, as a result we hold fun activities for them, which children in elementary school will have to do worksheets after the activities, and the elders will have more in-depth worksheets, according to their age.
Our belief is promoted through four projects, with different activities for different age groups. Adults can learn through in-depth tours, while elementary school children can participate in interactive games. Funding is provided through partnerships, with 2,000 students receiving free visits each year, with a focus on rural children. If rural children are unable to visit, the foundation will bring screenings to schools to spread awareness to more people.
FamilyMart initially became interested in environmental issues through an introduction from a consultant. They have had limited involvement in environmental collaborations in the past. They are now happy to have the opportunity to work with the Chi Po-lin Foundation, which they believe does excellent work in environmental education and digital archiving. Many companies only choose ESG activities such as tree planting and only donate money, but FamilyMart is willing to discuss with the Foundation on how to collaborate in all aspects for better results. The cooperation between the two has been enjoyable and the Foundation's activities are all well supported. If there are changes needed in the plan, they are also always open and willing to discuss.
The Environmental Record Award is in its first year, so it's too early to say whether it's effective or not. However, the recipient chosen by the foundation not only received our award, but also won the first prize for New Taipei City Records, which is a great recognition for us. In the future, we plan to showcase the recipient's work in touring lectures and activities held at FamilyMart, and consider giving guidance and assistance to those who didn't make it to the final selection. The fastest way is through providing funding and guidance to help them find channels and raise their visibility. Many people don't make documentaries because they are not sure if they can make money, but after Director Chi Po-lin filmed "Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above", he started a trend of making documentaries, since people have now realized that documentaries can as well be profitable. Additionally, people's awareness in Taiwan has risen in recent years. In the past, people didn't care much about environmental issues, and just thirty years ago, no one had the concept of environmental sustainability. In recent years, people have become increasingly concerned about these issues. As a result, we hope to use our resources to make outstanding directors and works more visible during this trending process. For example, this year's award-winning issue of whales and dolphins is relatively rare. The issue has moved away from overfishing and overhunting and is mainly discussing the impact of the offshore wind power plant built near the coast of Taiwan. When the plant is under construction and operation, it emits a special sound that causes dolphins to commit suicide or strand themselves. Taiwan has a large number of species and a large number of whales and dolphins, unlike Japan or Germany, where the species are single. In this situation, we hope more people will notice the animals dying and hope to raise awareness through the foundation. In the future, if funding is sufficient, we hope to support people from universities who are interested in this.
For the volunteers, the organization need numerous number or manpower to hold the activities. The organization hopes the film present in dialogue form, at the same time presenting the views and image to the audience. Despite scanning the film, identifies the location and subjects the category is vital for the film. One image needs at least 10 keywords, as well as professional photographer. The organization not just cultivate their own photograher, it also hold competition to find potential talents. Also, the organization wants to start up a drone photography school. After the death of Chi Po-lin, the organization aim to popularizes drones, lowering the prize. Also, the organization wants to start up a campus, spreading the the knowledge of photography and gathering photographer.
Recently The government have improved in the protection of environment, the minister establish the “Land and environment development group”, setting up plans such as “ National Axis Protection Plan”, which prohibits the development of land at certain altitude. Yet, there is two challenges: first, it is hard to regulate the developed land in Taiwan, such as alpine farms that has been open for more than 40 years, they hold certain tourists. Second, the environment lack the funding to promote environmental eduction. For examples high altitude land involve the danger of soil liquefaction, the governmen warn the citizens to leave the mountain, but most of them refuse to move. Last but not least, Taiwan laws on environmental protection are strict but lack the effiency to occur them. For example, most of the high mountain inn are illegal, yet the government only draw down 17 inns after 3 years, which less than ⅕ among all. All in all, environmental education promotion and quality needs to improve.
First, the organization hopes to promote the view of local hometown to remote areas’ kids, teaching them how to use drone to film their hometown. For example, the organizaton cooperate with Citizen Watch in Hualien. Holding exhibitions there can let the kids to learn how to use professional drone, spreading the sense of national identiy. Lots of cities in Taiwan suffer from population loss, which the citizens leave the cities to seek better employment, without the sense of hometown identity, there is less chance to create jobs. Second, the organization hopes to cooperate with companies, utilizing the status the authorities of companies to promote environmental protection in Taiwan. The organization believes “sight” gives the power to raise the severity of environmental issues. Soley when the Taiwanese watch the garbage mountain on Green Island or Orchid Island themselves, they will realize the importance of environmental protection.
The "Finding the Next Chi Po-Lin" Project involves both films and photographs. For example, in the art exhibition, the organization uses the city as the majority, and the best art, as well as Chi Po-Lin, works will display together, hoping Taiwan’s view and issues can be promoted. Also, the recent phone can also film qualified and beautiful views, the organization aims to popularize Taiwan's environment and raise awareness of Taiwan's environmental protection.
The organization has several plans, but it lacks the funding to occur all of the plans. One plan needs to run for 3 to 5 years. First, the organization hopes to develop in the field of environmental records, such as the competition “Chi Po-lin photography prize”. Also, next year is "Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above" 10th anniversary, and the organization aims to hold different forums. Last but not least, the organization hopes to increase the number of the school tours. Such as "Suhwa trekking activity" and “Jade mountain trekking activity”.
The first stage of “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above 3 " was finished, planning to released at 2023 November. For the audiences’ reactions, the first episode must have the most view watch, the third episode may not be as popular as the first one. However, the organization doesn’t aim to release the film that gains the box office, but they hope to raise the national identity.
The reason why we didn't see Taiwan 2 was because we wanted to leave 2 to our father. When he was filming 2, he wanted to film the entire Asian level, because he believed that Taiwanese came from all over the world. There are no real original Taiwanese in Taiwan. Gathered from all directions. So what he hopes to capture is that people from all over the world encounter issues similar to those in Taiwan, such as the forest fires in Indonesia, the smog in the mainland, and so on. But these can’t be photographed because the funds are too large, so we focus on the snow mountain this time. The rivers flowing from the tributaries of the snow-capped mountains feed more than half of the people in Taiwan. The problems of environmental hearing, food safety, and population issues in the mountains, plains, hills, and seas are currently the aspects we hope to address.
This is a dream. We are now actively engaging with the government and various units. For example, New Taipei City previously subscribed for the broadcasting rights of We See Taiwan. Local children can watch it every year and put it in local special courses. At present, there are texts written by Zeppelin in elementary school texts, but if they become textbooks, no young people will want to read them. It is hoped that the form of the textbook will not focus on this person, but integrate the captured archives and the courses we designed into special courses or multiple electives. The environment is a wide-ranging issue that involves economic, political, and civic issues. How to balance economic development and environmental protection can be added to the course. For example, Sun Moon Lake is very clean and can be used for tourism. In recent years, the government has started to care about environmental issues because voters have changed. From a long time ago to now, the government has always put forward policies based on what the people want. When voters of this generation care about environmental protection, the government will work hard to change. In the future, I also hope that Nuri can incorporate the macro-idea of environmental protection into education.
We want to promote images. We are now cooperating with French art galleries. They are very concerned about the framing and publication of photos. Therefore, many photo galleries let photos be exhibited one by one. There may be people abroad who are willing to collect works. When my father was on a world tour in Taiwan, overseas Chinese in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia wanted to see Taiwan, and there were supporters everywhere, so they hoped to promote environmental issues through publicity.
