On September 21, 1999, an earthquake caused the plant covers of Jiujiu Peaks to collapse and revealed the surface soil. The peaks became bold overnight.
In 1997, Jiujiu Peaks before the 1999 Jiji Earthquake were brimming with verdant lushness and vitality.
In 2008, the name of the rebuilt island was rectified to Lalu Island, which means “the holy island in the heart” in the Thao language.
In 1997, Guanghua Island before the 1999 Jiji Earthquake was a popular tourist destination for visitors to Sun Moon Lake.
In 2007, the groin effect caused by seashore developments and upstream regulation projects resulted in sand reduction, leading to clear beach recession and visible loss of sand.
In 2002, the golden and soft Fulong Beach was a great summer attraction for water activities.
100,000 sheets of aerial photographic films, 500,000 digital images, and nearly 1,000 hours of aerial filming footage comprise the body of work by Chi Po-lin, for which he invested twenty-five years of his life and more than 2,500 flight hours to amass in order to speak up for the earth and the environment. Through this precious body of work, we witness the changes of Taiwan’s landscape, as well as that of its cultural and ecological environment.

Director Chi departed from this world in a hurry, leaving behind vastly unsorted yet extremely valuable images that await to be seen by more people, who care about the earth and their homeland. However, traditional photographic films are difficult to preserve, and the colors gradually fade as time flows. To preserve the fruit of the director’s painstaking labor of his whole life, the establishment of a digital archive is the only and best solution. Furthermore, through such an image database could the value of Chi’s images be maximized.

However, building a digital archive is a herculean effort, which requires a lot of resources and funding. Outsourcing high-resolution scanning of one single film alone costs NT$ 700 to 800, let alone the complicated and elaborate processes of archive construction, which include selecting and sorting out images, classification and filing, post-digitization processing, confirming locations and keywords, construction and maintenance of image database, etc.

The Chi Po-lin Foundation has started from scratch and created a suitable archive project after two years of exploration and overcoming various challenges. Currently, our staff working on the digital archive project and professional volunteers are racing with time to gradually build up the digital archive and audio-visual database. With the digital archive project, we can permanently preserve Director Chi’s irreplaceable image works, and hope to further expand the application effects in the fields of environmental education, academic research, exhibition initiative, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
  • 01.

    Exhibition Initiative

    Through the Chi Po-lin Museum and our online and offline photography exhibitions, we bring the nature of Taiwan to the world and speak up for the environment.
  • 02.

    Environmental Education

    With teaching plans and materials based on Chi Po-lin's aerial photographic images, we promote environmental education with more interpretations and deeper thoughts.
  • 03.

    Academic Research

    Observing the environment from an aerial angle facilitates a better understanding of changes that have occurred to our environment.
  • 04.

    Cross-disciplinary Collaboration

    Through a range of licensing and collaboration projects, the breathtaking aerial images by Chi Po-lin can further publicize the natural beauty of Taiwan.

Support our digital archive project.
Help us maximize the value of the precious documentation of our changing earth.