gather photographers, exchange knowledge, and
nurture the public’s understanding of the aesthetic
dimension of photography. In 1964, Teng founded
the Taiwan Photographic Society, with the dual
aim of disavowing the motifs of salon photogra-
phy and of promoting modern photography in
Taiwan. (See below: ‘‘Photography in Taiwan in
the 1960s and 1970s.’’) Chang initiated photogra-
phy classes in professional training schools. Lee
published the first professional photographic maga-
zine in Taiwan, which was distributed through
photo shops. The magazine published the texts of
updated theories and concepts about photography.
Montage Pictorial Photography after World
War II
LONG Chin-san (1892–1995) was a leading photo-
grapher and an influential promoter of photogra-
phy in Mainland China and Taiwan, having
moved to Taiwan from Mainland China after
World War II. Long is regarded as one of the
earliest pioneers in photography from the early
1900’s and one of the most active photographers
in Mainland China. His photographic experiences
in China distinguished his works, conceptually and
stylistically, from that of other Taiwanese photo-
graphers. Unlike those photographers trained in
Japan and Taiwan, Long’s concern with photogra-
phy pays attention to both the techniques and
aesthetic dimensions of photography. His early
training in Chinese ink painting contributed to
his understanding and skill in the artistic elements
of photography.
In 1961, Long took up a unique photographic
practice known as montage pictorial photography.
Montage pictorial photography was groundbreak-
ing in the history of photography since it applied
photographic techniques to express the aesthetic of
Chinese ink painting. The basic concept of mon-
tage pictorial photography is to create a black-and-
white photograph, based on the classic theory of
Chinese ink painting (commonly known as ‘‘the six
principles of painting’’). For Long, photography
was capable of presenting the beauty and aesthetic
of traditional Chinese art and culture, with two
factors determining whether a photograph could
be considered art: artistic composition and a sig-
nificant message embedded in the work—impor-
tant criteria in all works of art. For Long,
positing a scene in a traditional Chinese painting
is not unlike composition in photography, even
though in painting, an artist can adjust the posi-
tions of compositional elements, whereas a pho-
tographer is restricted by the mechanical eye.
Through photographic techniques, a photographer
can resolve this problem.
The process of making a photograph character-
ized as montage pictorial photography is complex:
it includes planning motifs, making the images,
planning the layout of the images, collaging nega-
tives through techniques in the darkroom, includ-
ing multiple exposures, among others. Although
Western photographers have, since the 1920s, em-
ployed darkroom techniques that achieve image
overlap similar to Long’s concept of composition,
Long’s montage pictorial photography depends
on the unique considerations of Chinese paint-
ing principles.
The Scenery of Lake and Mountainis now gener-
ally regarded as Long’s most typical ‘‘composi-
tional’’ picture. A landscape compiled by shots of
an old man sitting in a pavilion, amid rocks and pine
trees, a boat, villages and a lake, the composition
depicts a narrative typical of a traditional Chinese
landscape. The space created in the photograph
dismisses the principle of three-point perspective,
with the gradated tonal effects in the photograph
also reminiscent of a Chinese ink painting.Intentional Photography and Modern
Photography in the 1960s and 1970s
In contrast to the Salon style and pictorial photo-
graphy advocated by Long Chin-san, a few styles
have emerged that feature what is termed Inten-
tional photography and other modern styles.
KE Shi-jie (1929–) is among the most important
photographers who have worked on Intentional
photography. In his early works, he shot a series
of portraits and landscapes and was concerned with
the personal traits and aesthetic quality of his
motifs. Later, he went to New York and became a
commercial photographer. Quitting his job, he then
spent several years, in the late 1970s and early
1980s, traveling the world and photographing.
The works that resulted are abstract, featuring
dream-like scenery appearing to be influenced by
Surrealism, emphasizeing the tonality of the sha-
dows. His best-known works includeLiving Tao,
Still Vision,Dancing Brushes,Embrace Tiger, and
Return to the Mountain. Other Intentionalist photo-
graphers are HSIEH Chun-teh (1949–) and Denial
LEE. They emphasize the photographer’s interpre-
tation of his subject, rather than simply reporting
or documenting it, and they are concerned with the
elements of color, shape, composition, and contrast
in their works.CHINA AND TAIWAN, PHOTOGRAPHY IN