Like a Zen koan, it sums up life. Like a clear mirror, it reflects the world without uttering a word.
For hundreds of thousands of years, Yehliu Terrace has silently and soundlessly been embellished by time and tide, accepting people's gazes, stares and imaginings --
A four-year-old child likens the formations to a yummy chocolate cake. A poet finds in them the warm and lingering touch of time. A vagrant huddled in front of a luxury apartment building sees in them the twists and turns of fate. Lovers drunk with love swear eternal vows by them. . . .
Chou Hsiang-lu studied chemical engineering in college but ended up choosing photography as a career. Chancing upon Yehliu in the early fall of 1982, he was deeply moved by its myriad forms, forging an indissoluble link with rock that would last at least a decade. He hoped to convey his ideas of its exotic formations through the camera lens, using Chinese aesthetic concepts to imbue Yehliu with philosophic musings on time and space.
But as time went by and its odd formations expanded his vision and spirit, he was moved in a different way, "Taking pictures at Yehliu is like visiting an old friend. Who's fussy about what you talk about when you get together With an old friend?" Yehliu is Yehliu, and Chou began to daub over his film as he wished, transcending artistic concepts.
"Ten Years of Yehliu" is a record of Chou Hsiang-lu as well as of Yehliu. Its message is entirely up to you. It's just like an old Zen master once said: "Zen lies in eating and drinking. You don't have to indulge in flights of fancy about it." Yehliu is something you don't have to get carried away with either.
[Picture Caption]
Chou Hsiang-lu tried varying some of the rocks' tones in his pictures, producing a weathering effect of his own.
Sophisticated performances and props are basic conditions for a drama troupe to stand out from the crowd. Shown here is a new classical stage made in Chuanchow, mainland China, for the Hsiao Hsi Yuan in 1989 at a cost of NT$1 million. （photo by Arthur Cheng）
From temple outdoor stages to first-rate theaters abroad, traditional drama troupes have conquered new horizons.
（Above） For the past 40 years, come rain or shine, the drama fans of Hsin Ting Temple, Shangtsochuang, have faithfully followed Hsiao Hsi Yuan performances. But once the older generation has passed away, will the next generation still "watch them from temple to temple?".
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