Chinese Name: 鄧南光
Birth Name: Deng Teng-hui (鄧騰輝)
Born: December 5, 1907
Died: June 16, 1971
Birthplace: Hsinchu County (Northern Taiwan)
Did You Know That…?
A Hakka photographer from Beipu Township (北埔鎮) of Hsinchu County, Deng Nan-guang was recognized as one of the pioneers in Taiwan’s photography. Deng and his other two peers, Chang Tsai (張才) and Li Ming-tiao (李鳴雕), were referred to as “the three musketeers of photography” in the 1940s and 50s.
Born to a prominent Hakka family in 1907 in Hsinchu’s Beipu Township, Deng Teng-hui went to Japan at the age of 17 to study in high school and college. Affected by his uncle who was passionate about photography, Deng showed an interest in taking pictures. He had become a devotee of graphic images ever since he joined the photography club on campus as he studied at Hosei University (法政大學). At that time, cameras were regarded as luxury items. However, because Deng’s family was economically comfortable, he was able to carry a pricy camera to school every day, shooting photos of people and things around him.
During his college years, the selection of Deng’s first submitted work to the Japanese magazine “Camera” further stimulated his strong interest in photography. His works shot with a Leica camera were selected in an international photo exhibition in Shanghai, China. On account of his works with diverse subject matters, Deng was a frequent winner in many photo competitions. Hence, he became a member of Japan’s Leica Society (全日本萊卡協會) and the Kanto Student Association of Photographic Societies (全關東學生寫真聯盟).
Deng was influenced by the photography trend that had been just popular in Japan at that time. The trend in visual art emphasized spontaneity, snapshots, montage, solarization, and subconscious minds in photographic aesthetics and art forms. Creations by photographers Paul Wolff from Germany and Ihei Kimura (木村伊兵衛) from Japan inspired Deng the most.
After Deng obtained his bachelor’s degree in Japan in 1935, he returned to Taiwan. He opened a photography store named “Nan-guang Photo Studio (南光寫真機店),” because of which his fellow enthusiasts called him “Mr. Nan-guang,” a moniker that became his name for the rest of his life. From 1935 to 1944, it was the peak period of Deng’s photographic production. Through his realistic lens, Deng captured images across Taiwan, taking pictures of ordinary folk, women, and middle-class people. He particularly focused on traditional cultural customs in northern Taiwan, photographing people’s theater-going, tomb-sweeping, wedding ceremonies, and paddy harvesting.
Deng left behind nearly 6000 negatives of photos including portraits, still lifes, architectural structures, and natural scenery, widely recording the images of Taiwan’s cultural and social landscapes. He persisted in keeping the photography journal with his camera, reaching the zenith of his creative output. Most importantly, Deng, from the perspective of a local photographer on the island, created precious photographic records on Japan-ruled Taiwan with his distinctive visual aesthetics.
Around 1937, out of a fascination with films shot with the 8mm camera, Deng Nan-guang started to make motion pictures. Featuring his children, his works “Fishing Trip (漁遊)” and “Zoo (動物園)” received an honorable mention in Japan’s 8mm film competition. In 1944, Deng was recognized as an official photographer by the Taiwan Governor General’s Office, being legally allowed to take photos in public spaces during World War II. As the war became increasingly intense, he closed the photography store in Taipei and went back to his hometown Beipui in Hsinchu.
After WWII ended in 1945, Deng reopened Nan-guang Photo Studio in Taipei. At that time, he actively participated in photography activities and promoted photography for amateurs. Together with Li Huo-zeng (李火增) and other Leica camera enthusiasts, he formed one of the earliest photo clubs in post-war Taiwan. In 1948, Deng took part in the “Tamsui Shalun Beach Photograph Competition,” in which Chang Tsai won first place while Deng shared the third place with Li Ming-tiao. Often selected in photo contests, the trio were photographic equipment sellers who had common interests in photography. They were hailed as “the three musketeers of photography” in Taipei. In 1952, the three musketeers organized the “Taipei Photo Monthly Competition,” which later was taken over by the Photographic Society of Taipei (台北攝影學會) and transformed into the Taipei International Salon of Photography. Deng, along with his other two partners, had served as the event’s judge for ten years, cultivating many emerging photographers.
Throughout his life, Deng Nang-guang experienced Japanese colonialization, World War II, and Nationalist rule in Taiwan. He used his camera to capture images from all walks of life during his lifetime, leaving behind a precious legacy in Taiwan’s photography. As a leading figure who pioneered realism photography on the island, Deng, with his abundant creative energy and artistic achievement, exerted a profound impact on Taiwan’s photographic art.
Check out the photographs of Deng Nan-guang: https://cyberisland.teldap.tw/graphyer/photo/zsTc
(Photo credit: 艋舺龍山寺鄧南光身影 / 創作者：鄧南光 / 貢獻者：提供者-夏綠原國際有限公司 / 數位物件授權：CC BY-NC 3.0 TW + / 建檔單位：財團法人台北市艋舺龍山寺 @ 國家文化記憶庫 https://tcmb.culture.tw/zh-tw/detail?indexCode=Culture_Object&id=327307)