Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above | Full Documentary | English Narration

In 2013, director Chi Po-lin released his aerial documentary “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above,” ushering in a new era of environmental conservation and awareness in Taiwan. 11 years later, the Chi Po-lin Foundation has partnered with TaiwanPlus to bring Chi’s beloved film to a global audience with complete English narration.
Taiwan is incredibly beautiful. When viewed from the air, we see its diverse landscape of mountains, oceans, lakes, rivers, forests, paddy fields, fish ponds and urban areas. But we also witness vast, man-made environmental damage. Our land is full of accumulated scars. Day after day, layers of pollution seep into the ocean. Following the film’s unique perspective and storytelling, we transform into high-flying birds, soar above Taiwan, and witness this island's beauty and sorrow together.
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁
“Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above” won Best Documentary at Taiwan’s 50th Golden Horse Awards in 2013. It was also nominated for and won awards at many international film festivals, including the WorldFest Houston Independent Film Festival and the International Environmental Film Festival (FICMA) in Barcelona. The film had special screenings in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Norway and was theatrically released in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. “Beyond Beauty” successfully brought Taiwan onto the international stage and showed the world how Taiwan values its land and natural resources.
“Beyond Beauty” cost US$3 million to produce, and is still the most expensive documentary produced in Taiwan to date. With renowned Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien as its executive producer, “Beyond Beauty” is directed by Chi Po-lin and narrated in English by Nieh Yeng. Composed by Ricky Ho, the music was performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra along with Taiwanese singers Nolay Piho and Chen Yi-lai. “Beyond Beauty” is a poem written with their joint effort, portraying the beauty and sadness of Taiwan.
Remembering Chi Po-lin
Director Chi Po-lin initially worked in public service, but in 1988, Chi began working as a professional aerial photographer in his free time. He photographed developing cities and industries, as well as the damaged environment. Although environmental issues were seldom discussed in public, he never put down his camera; he continuously recorded Taiwan’s beauty and environmental degradation for over 25 years. After years of publishing photo albums and delivering lectures at schools, Chi realized these issues were too far removed from people’s daily lives.
In 2009, Typhoon Morakot devastated Taiwan, dumping over 3,000mm of precipitation in just a few days, causing landslides and floods and resulting in about 700 people dying or going missing. Chi was heartbroken and realized that the land we live on can radically change at any moment. This motivated him to create a documentary to allow all Taiwanese people to see Taiwan from a new point of view, and to record the island’s beauty for the next generation.
The same year, Chi resigned from public service. He formed Taiwan Aerial Imaging, Inc. and invested in Cineflex V14 HD, the first professional aerial camera system in Taiwan. After flying with the gyro-stabilized camera system for over 400 hours, Chi achieved his dream. He released “Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above” in 2013. Chi tragically died four years later in a helicopter crash while filming in Fengbin Township, Hualien, along with his assistant Chen Kuan-chi and pilot Chang Chi-kuang. Today, the Chi Po-lin Foundation carries on Chi’s legacy of environmental advocacy, filmmaking and education in Taiwan.
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁
Original Release Year: 2013
Production Company: Taiwan Aerial Imaging, Inc.
Director: Chi Po-lin 齊柏林
Producer: Wan Kuan-li 萬冠麗
Produced by: Tseng Chiung-yao 曾瓊瑤
Executive Producer: Hou Hsiao-hsien 侯孝賢
Writer: Tsui Chi-chuan 崔企川
Cinematographer/Director of Photography: Chi Po-lin 齊柏林
Editor: Kuo Yu-ning 郭于寧
English Voice-Over: Nieh Yeng 聶雲
Music: Ricky Ho 何國杰
#BeyondBeauty #TaiwanFromAbove #齊柏林 #看見台灣 #NatureDocumentary #Environment #Documentary #Taiwan #TaiwanPlus
▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁
🌏 TaiwanPlus | Taiwan to the World
Breaking news and original programs. All things Taiwan at your fingertips.
Visit our website » www.taiwanplus...
📱 Connect with TaiwanPlus
» Like us on Facebook: tw.plus/facebook
» Tweet us on Twitter: / taiwanplusshows
» Follow us on Instagram: tw.plus/instagram
🇹🇼 About TaiwanPlus
TaiwanPlus is the premier international media platform providing English-language news and entertainment from Taiwan, at the heart of the most dynamic and fastest growing region on Earth.