I can own nothing forever
But we’re unable to give up lots of things in life
Chiang Hsun | Life in Chishang
I’m Chiang Hsun
I wanted to stay away from the life in Taipei
In mid-to-late October of 2014
I arrived at Chishang
Now it’s the 5th year
Chishang has been renowned for its rice
They grow the best rice in the world
Using a natural farming method
So we have the chance to see the most beautiful paddy field
I was invited as an artist in residence
After coming to Chishang
I walk and enjoy the scenery at the same time
I find it’s a long roll
This undivided farmland of 175 hectares
It flows in time
Dapu Village is a deserted teachers’ dormitory
It has not been occupied for fifty or sixty years
I’ve always wanted to find the feeling of home in Dapu Village
To be honest, it was really simple and crude when I first entered there
But when I pushed the door and walked in, I was surprised
Because it was totally like my home when I was a child
Walls of red bricks
Wooden windows
Green paint
And a big yard
Both of the bedrooms have a wide bed
Now I change the bed
Placing an altar at home is for comfort
The last teacher living here didn’t take the altar away
So I continue to worship it
I think there’s respect for heaven and earth in it
It’s about the word safe
There’s a big yard
Which tells me if it’s rainy or windy
The sun shines here
Walking through the yard, I enter the painting room
Which has a special lighting
The shades cast on the canvas
The garlic vines bloom on the red-brick walls
I really want to use that purple
The reddish purple to paint
I think inspiration comes from life
If you don’t have inspiration, you don’t have a life
From 5:00pm to 7:00pm
I think the lighting is the most beautiful
The light along the coast ranges is like a spotlight
Illuminating the west
I walk around the Dapo pond
For two hours in the morning
A spell later, the lotus flowers would totally wither away
The lotus stems are pretty too
A little like calligraphic lines
A poem of the Tang Dynasty which goes ‘looking at the remnants of flowers, I listen to the rain’
Reminds you that it’s great as well without lotus flowers
You can enjoy a different view in a different season
I go to the steamed buns restaurant to see them work
And have some steamed buns stuffed with bean paste
Then I return home to paint
It’s a happy thing to do for me
In fact art is a little far away from life for farmers
I think what they teach me is way more than what I teach them
The first lesson that Chishang teach me is natural laws
Start working as the sun rises and rest when the sun goes down
Live in accordance with solar terms
As a small village
Chishang has held its art festival for years
Pianists play in the paddy field where the harvest has been reaped
A variety of dancers can also be seen
Barn Gallery
It used to be a shabby warehouse
The whole space doesn’t change
And some common memories are kept
It creates an opportunity for Chishang people to express themselves
Chishang Bookshop
It’s sixty years old
Those two cats are so interesting
Cats sleep for a very long time
It’s easy to paint or take pictures of them
Because they often keep still
I record each of my days in a casual way
I just take pictures with my mobile phone
Those photos are now exhibiting
They’re not shown in a gallery
In the shop which I frequent
You can see them
What are the things that human can’t live without
Air, water and earth
After moving to Chishang
I feel I’m so rich here
Because only a healthy life is beautiful
In the past five years
I think I’ve done a lot of work in this regard
What things can we give up
Or we would be really painful in the end if we can’t let it go