The Evolution of Cheng Sang-hsi

Chang Chao-t'ang　/　photos Cheng Sang-hsi　/　tr. by Mark Halperin

May 1986

中文

Cheng Sang-hsi at age 29, 1965.

Ask a photographer for the dominant figure in Taiwan during the 1960s and chances are likely the answer will be Cheng Sang-hsi. A fount of energy and creativity during these years, Cheng explored the many different nooks and crannies of society, as well as distinguishing himself with undersea and bird photography.

Cheng also spent considerable time in promoting photography as a worthwhile art and profession. Thanks to his efforts, Cheng Kung High School and National Chengchi University have photography clubs, and Keelung has a photography society. Cheng was also the host of the first television show about photography, "Let's Talk About Photography."

Born in Keelung in 1937, Cheng began life in a family which ran a hotel and sold liquor and cigarettes. His first experience with cameras came in junior high school, when he borrowed one from a classmate. An illness in senior high school forced him to leave his studies for a period, during which he worked at odd jobs, buying a Pigeon and shooting whenever he could find the time. His early pictures showed promise, gaining him entrance into photography clubs, and during his last year of high school, his work won special mention at the Taipei Salon Photography Show.

When he entered the Journalism Department of National Chengchi University, Cheng's studies and career were already joined and he was ready to pursue his craft with determination. While at Chengchi, Cheng fell under the wing of Chang Ts'ai (see March issue of Sinorama), whose inspiration helped turn him away from salon photography and toward livelier subjects.

During his freshman year, Cheng spent a month on Orchid Island and came away with a remarkable series of pictures of the islanders and their lifestyle, of which "Orchid Island Beauty" is perhaps the most outstanding. In general, Cheng's perspective displayed a composure and concern rarely seen then and which imbued his subjects with a Mona Lisa-like affinity and tenderness. Cheng also paid considerable attention to the society around him during this period, producing the "Chiufen" and "Keelung" series which have shown more lasting power than some of his more formalist experiments.

Another early triumph was "Flying Creatures." Armed with a Pentax 200mm telephoto lens, Cheng visited a zoo in the spring of 1963 and took all sorts of shots of the winged creatures he found there. Later, still a student, he put together the exhibit "Flying Creatures," a tour de force which "humanized" the birds, showing them in various fearful, self-satisfied, elegant, clever, and confused moods. His images still evoke a response today, and the exhibit must be counted as one of the most noteworthy of the era.

During this period, the Photography Society of China ruled the roost as the unofficial academy of photography in Taiwan. Receipt of a "master's" and "doctorate" from the society conferred great respect on a photographer, and few were willing to play the renegade. Cheng submitted "Flying Creatures" for his master's, which was rejected at first but later accepted after winning public acclaim. Later, older and wiser, he first exhibited another selection of his photographs, "Contemporary Photography," before trying for his doctorate, a title he won easily. Whether or not the society accepted Cheng out of deference to public pressure or because its tastes had broadened is difficult to say, but Cheng insists his certificates were won on the merits of his pictures alone.

Cheng's early work can be divided into three stages. The first emphasized contrast and change, with many out-of-focus and unusual shots. Although this approach stressed technique over content, it never degenerated into the prosaic and workmanlike. The second part was characterized by "Chiufen," a photo essay of a declining country town. Cheng's purpose seemed to be merely to record reality and there was little reflection or attempt to penetrate the subject matter. "Old Keelung" marks the last part, a group of photographs made in bits and pieces during Cheng's college years. The people, the atmosphere, and the buildings portrayed are now long gone, replaced by a hectic and disordered metropolis, and the contrast often puts the viewer in a melancholy mood.

After being discharged from the military and working in the magazine field, Cheng in 1964 went to the photography division of the Government Information Office. He lasted there for three years, his jobs taking him on every conceivable type of assignment and letting him develop considerably his talent and vision. Its only drawback was that Cheng was left with little time to reflect and study, a problem shared by many other photographers of the time.

Looking at Cheng's work, one finds Truth taking a primary role, surpassing those of Beauty and Good. Beauty and Good can perhaps be better captured by other art forms, but photography is better suited for pursuing Truth, that elusive quality that shows itself in the viewfinder for an instant and then suddenly is no more. Cheng also shows a preference for new perspectives and new ideas, trying to take shots that would not occur to other photographers.

During those hectic years of assignments everywhere around the island, Cheng probably had no inkling that his work would ever be prized as it is today. Taken together, his corpus provides the most complete and vivid portrait of Taiwan in change. At present he is preparing a "Keelung Revisited" essay, a task for which he is well and away the most qualified photographer.

In 1969 Cheng left for Japan. Originally he entered Waseda University only to study Japanese, but later he moved to cinematography and drama. He stayed four years, studying many different aspects of photography and returning to Taiwan loaded with new equipment.

Back home, however, Cheng's family faced a crisis with their fishing business, and Cheng was forced to put his photography aside and do what he could to help out. Later, when he returned to his craft, his photographs seemed to lack the sharpness of before. He attributed the change to age and different circumstances, saying that in the past he faced far fewer restrictions on his activities and was free to do as he pleased. With more responsibility and less time, Cheng was also more conscious of his limits as a photographer, saying that the art had passed him by. His main interest, it seemed, was in promoting local photography.

But Cheng cannot be counted out as yet. For "Photographing Taiwan" he redeveloped several thousand of his old negatives, and the presence of his works hanging on the walls of his Keelung home seemed to revivify his spirit. Cheng himself expressed a desire to concentrate on investigating what he saw about him, preferring to eschew the different or the provoking. He said, "My works aren't only for myself; they're to bear witness to a place, to leave a record for history."

[Picture Caption]

Cheng Sang-hsi at age 29, 1965.

Orchid Island Beauty, 1960.

Flying Creatures #1, 1961.

Flying Creatures #2, 1961.

Chiufen, 1961.

Ch'ihk'an Building in Tainan, 1957.

Light and Shadow #1, 1962.

Light and Shadow #2, 1962.

Keelung (Steam engine maintenance yard), 1959.

Keelung (Train station built in the Liu Ming ch'uan era), 1960.

Keelung (Dusk), 1961.