"Goodbye" is the last word spoken on parting. Implicit within it are the sorrow of separation and the hope of meeting again. Today, with heavy hearts, we are preparing to bid "goodbye" to the land we rely on for our survival.

The little island of Taiwan lies at the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the island's geology, to its topography, shaped by pressure from the Philippine Sea Plate, and to the effects of the tides and currents of the surrounding sea, its 1200-kilometer coastline is highly distinctive and diverse.

For instance, the subsided coast of northern Taiwan is studded with beautiful eroded bays and promontories; the sandy and muddy coast of the western alluvial plain is rich in human culture and is a paradise for migratory birds, a place where they can rest and feed as they pass through on their southward and northward journeys; the coral reefs of the south coast are a rare natural treasure; and the eroded escarpments of Taiwan's east coast bear witness to the tectonic movements which have shaped our island over millions of years.

But over recent years, in the pursuit of economic growth, Taiwan has heavily exploited its natural resources. For example, coastal land reclamation and the development of new industrial zones have destroyed valuable wetlands, and when the wetlands are lost the birds' paradise is lost with them. The breakwaters of the large fishing ports and commercial harbors all around the island interfere with tidal flows and currents, altering patterns of silting and erosion so that some harbors have to be abandoned when their construction is barely complete. Various public utilities built by the government, such as waste dumps, effluent treatment plants and nuclear power stations, also pollute the sea and threaten the natural marine ecology. But most worrying are the fish farms spread all over Taiwan's coastal regions. In some places, abalone pools have been dug into the marine erosion terraces, while in others illegal and excessive pumping of groundwater for aquaculture, along with extraction for domestic, industrial and agricultural use, has caused serious land subsidence in areas covering almost 1,000 square kilometers.

Over the past decade and more, as well as being worried and saddened by the enormous changes to our land which we are witnessing, I have used the means of expression most familiar to me-photography-to reproduce the reality I see in order to set it before the eyes of the public, as if seeking the solace of self-redemption. Enduring many hardships-sometimes with soaking-wet clothes, sometimes wading waist-deep through foul-smelling ditches, shuttling across garbage-strewn beaches or even diving down to the sea bed to view the coral graveyards-every time I press the shutter it is with great sorrow, as if I were taking a memorial photo for this island's funeral.

In the natural world, the life of all creatures goes through certain cycles. But human greed constrains life and makes it a resource which can be bought and sold. Therefore my works often denounce humankind's rapacity and callousness. I also question just what kind of life we are living behind the mask of economic growth, and what kind of land we want to live in.

If you take a trip around Taiwan's coasts, you will discover that from the government to private enterprise, everyone is scrambling to grab a piece of the shore to develop, so that the beautiful natural coastline is rapidly disappearing. If we continue with our shortsighted greed, we are certain to reap an awful harvest, and when the whole coastal ecology has collapsed, all we will be able to do is to call a tearful "Sorry-goodbye!" after this land of ours.

p.100

Fortress on the Sea

-Pali Rural Township, Taipei County, May 1994

With the coast pounded day and night by the waves and tides, and with commercial operators taking away the sand, the fortress which was meant to protect our borders and people has finally toppled.

p.102

Blood Vessels-Tapengwan Lagoon, Pingtung County, June 1995

Guided by greed, seawater is drawn into man-made fish-breeding ponds.

p.103

Umbilical Cord-Kuanyin Rural Township, Taoyuan County, October 1998

Northern Taiwan's rivers drain into the sea, but do they bring the western Pacific nourishment, or poison?

p.104

Harvest from the Sea-Shoufeng Rural Township, Hualien County, April 1997

One by one the stones are collected from among the crashing waves and sold to make a living. All that is left on the beach are regrets.

p.105

Water Buffaloes Taking a Bubble Bath in a Hualien River Mouth

Hsincheng Rural Township, Hualien County, July 1993

In the agricultural era the water buffalo was a faithful companion and an important source of motive power. But since industrialization the buffaloes have become merely ornaments on the rural landscape, their living space compressed into the narrow confines of foamy, polluted rivers.

p.106

Withered Mangroves-Tungshih Rural Township, Chiayi County, March 1994

Mangroves are a crucial feature of the coastal wetlands. When disease strikes, the coastal ecosystem faces yet another disaster.

p.107

A Fishing Port Choked with Garbage

-Wuchi Township, Taichung County, August 1994

All rivers flow to the sea, which swallows up everything mankind throws into it. But one day when the burden becomes too great the sea will strike back, and none will escape its wrath.

p.108

Close to the Sea

Pali Rural Township, Taipei County, November 1998

Gathering clams was once an important source of income for west coast fisher folk, but since prosperity has become people's only goal in life, scenes like this have become ever rarer.

Blood Vessels--Tapengwan Lagoon, Pingtung County, June 1995 Guided by greed, seawater is drawn into man-made fish-breeding ponds.

Harvest from the Sea--Shoufeng Rural Township, Hualien County, April 1997 One by one the stones are collected from among the crashing waves and sold to make a living. All that is left on the beach are regrets.

Water Buffaloes Taking a Bubble Bath in a Hualien River Mouth Hsincheng Rural Township, Hualien County, July 1993 In the agricultural era the water buffalo was a faithful companion and an important source of motive power. But since industrialization the buffaloes have become merely ornaments on the rural landscape, their living space compressed into the narrow confines of foamy, polluted rivers.

Withered Mangroves--Tungshih Rural Township, Chiayi County, March 1994 Mangroves are a crucial feature of the coastal wetlands. When disease strikes, the coastal ecosystem faces yet another disaster.

A Fishing Port Choked with Garbage --Wuchi Township, Taichung County, August 1994 All rivers flow to the sea, which swallows up everything mankind throws into it. But one day when the burden becomes too great the sea will strike back, and none will escape its wrath.

Close to the Sea Pali Rural Township, Taipei County, November 1998 Gathering clams was once an important source of income for west coast fisher folk, but since prosperity has become people's only goal in life, scenes like this have become ever rarer.