For 192 professional photographers in the Republic of China on Taiwan, August 19 was a specially busy day.
Starting at 12 o'clock midnight, they fanned out to selected sites across the island, in city and countryside, from mountaintop to seashore, and made a precious historical record of the life of Taiwan on that day.
Similar activities have been held in other countries, such as "A Day in the Life of the Soviet Union," "A Day in the Life of Japan" and "A Day in the Life of America." The dates in each country differed. August 19, chosen by the Taipei Photography Festival Planning Commission, is the anniversary of the invention of photography.
Sky, earth, mountains, sea, cities, countryside . . . the range of subjects was multifarious, and so were the methods and techniques the photographers used to capture Taiwan as they saw it.
This immense activity, held here for the first time, was a collaborative effort of local photographers from every generation, including 100- year-old Lang Ching-shan, septuagenarians Chang Tsai and Lin Shou-i, established veterans Chang Chao-tang and Chuang Ming-ching, outstanding younger photographers and promising newcomers.
In the course of the day, they snapped more than 30,000 shots. During a marathon evaluation session that lasted from August 29 to 30, Kao Hsin-chiang, Hu Tai-li, Chiang Hsun, Huang Yung-sung, Chang Chao-tang and Tu Tzung-shang selected a total of 243 pictures for inclusion in book form. The album is expected to come out on October 25, Taiwan Retrocession Day.
We obtained the remarkable pictures that follow from the sponsor so that we could share them with you and present "24 Hours in the life of Taiwan."
[Picture Caption]
(photo by Diago Chiu)
11:30 am. Window of Taipei's Sunrise Department Store. Lu Hsin-kuang
12:10 am. Kaohsiung training center for new marines Ko Chin-yuan
11:30 pm. Karaoke parlor in Taipei's east end. Ho Jih-chang
10:00 am. Disabled author at the entrance to Taipei Railway Station. Huang Ting-sheng
11:00 am. Forty-year-old blacksmith's shop in Taipei County's Hsichih Township. Tang Ssu-pan
8:00 am. Changhua County's Hsihu Rural Township. Hu Yu-hao
12:00 am The sea off Ilan. Hsieh Hsin-hsi
9:30 am. A woman follows Hakka customs moving into a new home in Taichu ng City. Yu Jui-keng
8:30 am. Convent in Hualien County's Hsicheng Rural Township. Chang Tsang-sung
5:00 pm. Kaohsiung City. Hsueh Pan-ting
11:30 am. Window of Taipei's Sunrise Department Store. Lu Hsin-kuang.
12:10 am. Kaohsiung training center for new marines Ko Chin-yuan.
11:30 pm. Karaoke parlor in Taipei's east end. Ho Jih-chang.
10:00 am. Disabled author at the entrance to Taipei Railway Station. Huang Ting-sheng.
11:00 am. Forty-year-old blacksmith's shop in Taipei County's Hsichih Township. Tang Ssu-pan.
8:00 am. Changhua County's Hsihu Rural Township. Hu Yu-hao.
12:00 am The sea off Ilan. Hsieh Hsin-hsi.
9:30 am. A woman follows Hakka customs moving into a new home in Taichu ng City. Yu Jui-keng.
8:30 am. Convent in Hualien County's Hsicheng Rural Township. Chang Tsang-sung.
5:00 pm. Kaohsiung City. Hsueh Pan-ting.