Ko traveled around world, fascinated by dance
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/06
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Ko Si-chi in 2006 with his photo of the Longshan Temple in Lugang, Changhua County (CNA photo)
Ko received his first camera at the age of 19, setting him on the path to become the country's foremost photographer, CNA reported. During his teenage years, he witnessed the loss of his well-to-do family's fortune, the death of his mother, and the destruction of his family home during bombing raids by the United States Air Force on the Japanese-held island.
After the war, Ko spent time in jail for deserting from the army. He studied photography in Japan and applied his new-found knowledge in Kaohsiung. In the 1960s, he moved to the United States, where he continued to specialize in photographing dancers, according to a report in Taiwan Today.
However, commercial photography did not satisfy him, so he found his mission in life was to travel around the world and take pictures in order to let his compatriots in Taiwan see what the outside world was like, reports said. At the time, Taiwan was still relatively poor and isolated, and most people did not have the opportunity to travel overseas. [FULL STORY]
