To mark the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the Hakka settlements in the Liudui region of southern Taiwan, the Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center (THCDC) launched a special exhibition on old photographs of the Liudui region at Liudui Hakka Cultural Park in Pingtung County on Aug. 27.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Hakka Affairs Council (HAC) Deputy Minister Chung Kung-chao (鍾孔炤) said he hopes that, through the lens of photographers, the exhibition can evoke local residents’ nostalgic memories, allow people to learn more about the special characteristics of the Liudui Hakka settlements, and develop cultural awareness of the particular locality. 

The exhibition titled “Hangˇ Go (行過),” literally meaning “having walked past” in the Hakka language, displays precious visual images to highlight the lives of ordinary people in Liudui, Chung stated, adding that the exhibition-goers can see the works of the photographers who have been paying attention to Liudui for a long time.

The Deputy Minister said that the exhibition collects old photos from photographers, film makers, cultural workers, and community groups, including Li Xiu-yun (李秀雲), Liu An-ming (劉安明), Chiu Tsai-yen (邱才彥), Tseng Hsien-lang (曾先郎), Peng Chi-yuan (彭啟原), Chi Po-lin (齊柏林), Liu Sen-sung (劉森松), Wen Hsing-tsun (溫興春), You Yung-fu (游永福), Huang Shan-kao (黃山高), Chang Ur-wein (張二文), as well as Moonlight Mountain magazine (月光山雜誌社) and Meinung People's Association (美濃愛鄉協進會).

Pictures and records of the Liudui field investigation works conducted by foreign scholars, including Myron L. Cohen, Yoshio Watanabe (渡邊欣雄), and Burton Pasternak are exhibited as well, Deputy Minister Chung added.

Chung noted that the stills and script of the film “My Native Land (原鄉人)” in 1980 directed by Li Hsing (李行), the godfather of Taiwan cinema who just passed away in August, are also on display. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Liudui’s Hakka novelist Chung Li-he (鍾理和), added the Deputy Minister.

THCDC Director-General Ho Chin-liang (何金樑) noted that visitors can see the important cultural assets of the Liudui region well preserved in the form of visual records, including Hakka ceremonial rituals, traditional house “huofang (伙房),” and tobacco plantation in the past.

According to THCDC, an outdoor exhibition will take place across the Liudui region on Sept. 17, combining local cultural landscapes with old photographs and installation art to display Liudui’s rich cultural heritage.