Liu Ka-shiang

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Born in Wuri District of Taichung City, Taiwan

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu Ka-shiang at the age of three with his parents and younger brother.

Enters Da Tung Elementary School, Taichung

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Five-year-old Liu Ka-shiang with his younger brother.

Enters Taichung Municipal Chu Jen Junior High School

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu Ka-shiang as a teenager.

Enters Taichung Municipal Taichung First Senior High School

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Enters Department of Journalism, College of Chinese Culture

Develops interest in nature: herbs, plants and trees.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu trying to catch butterflies at Nantou, a county that abounds in 330 butterfly species.

Joins the Hwa Kang Poets Society

Begins writing.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu at Chenggong Ling, a military Training Center for college students.

“Hair Loosened,” first poem published in a newspaper

Published in the literary supplement to The United Daily News.
Obtains a copy of Cold Mountain Poems translated by Gary Snyder and is greatly inspired by it.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Photograph taken with Snyder in Okinawa, 2004.

Poetry collection Lower Reaches of the River self-published

Burns all the printed copies of Lower Reaches of the River later.
Starts internship at the literary supplement to The United Daily News.
Begins thirty years of editorship.

self-published

Drafted for military service

Serves on a Republic of China Navyʼs battleship.
Develops interest in bird watching.

Receives military discharge and starts writing on birds

Joins Taichung Wild Bird Conservation Association.
Travels frequently to the upper and middle reaches and estuaries of streams and rivers in Central Taiwan.
Begins nature observation.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu during his military service in the Navy, 1981.

Prose collection Travelogue published

Praised by the cultural critic Zhan Hong-zhi as a pioneer of popular science and nature writing in Taiwan.

Taipei: China Times Publishing Co.

Begins yearlong birdwatching at the lower reaches of Tamsui River

Accumulates background knowledge for writing on birds.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu doing fieldwork, 1983.

Wins the Newcomer Prize from Twenty Years of Li Poetry Society, the Taiwan Poetry Award, the China Times Literary Award, and the Modern Poetry Award from the Chung-Wai Literary Journal

Liuʼs poetry begins to circulate among students.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

The China Times Literary Award trophy.

Poetry collection Homeland of the Wandervogel published

Primarily political poetry,second edition published ten days later.

Taipei: Avanguard Book

Ecological reportage Relay Station for the Birds of Passage: Seasonal Observations of the Lower Reaches of Tamsui River published

Donates copyright royalties to Society for Wildlife and Nature, S. W. A. N., in the hope that the Guandu Nature Park will be set up.

Taipei: Society for Wildlife And Nature

Serves as the editor for the China Timesʼ literary supplement “Human Realm”

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu doing fieldwork, 1985.

Plans for the column “Adventurers in Taiwan” in The Independent Evening Post (Zi Li Wan Bao).

Serves as the director of the Art and Literature Section at The Independent Evening Post. Begins research on nature encyclopedia.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu at the Independent Evening Post office, 1988.

Poetry collection Opinions of the Baby Flying Squirrel published

Taipei: He Zhi Wen Hua Publishing

Nature histories History of Ornithology in Taiwan (1980-1912) and Across Formosa: Foreignersʼ Travel in Taiwan (1860-1880) published consecutively

Begins writing Taiwanʼs nature history.

Taipei: Linking Publishing

Novel Ringed Plover Pinocchia published.

First animal fiction in Taiwan.
Wins the China Times Open Book Award for Top Ten Books of the Year.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu on the China Times Open Book Award ceremony.

“Black-faced Dancer” published in the China Timesʼ literary supplement

Boosts public awareness of the endangered black-faced spoonbill.

Starts observing nature at the green hills in his neighborhood for three years

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

A panorama of the green hills and ponds surrounded by city buildings.

Novel Hollyann Momo the Humpback Whale published

First fiction writing concerning ocean creatures.

Taipei: Yuan-Liou Publishing Co.

Wins the Wu San-lien Award for Literary Reportage

Wins the award for natural history writing and ecological reportage.

Observation journals Dance of the Green Hill , Songs of the Green Hill, and the Spirits of the Green Hill published

The Songs of the Green Hill trilogy is a carefully documented historical writing and nature survey of Taiwanʼs land, bringing in the concept of “urban wilderness.”
Wins the UDN Literatiʼs Best Book Award for the trilogy.
Wins Taiwan Conservation Award.

Taipei: China Times Publishing Co.

Picture book When the Whale Feels Blue (But Not the Blue), The Water Bird Who Calls for No Names, The Private Life of a Pea Mouse published

Attempts writing on picture fiction books for children.

Taipei: Taiwan Interminds Publishing

Fantasy novel The Pea Mouse Trilogy: The Hyacinth Bean Forest, Over a Small Island, Ghost Rain on the Prairie published

The bedtime stories Liu reads for his son as the prototype.

Taipei: China Times Publishing Co.

Teen fiction The Spirits in the Telescope – Stories of Common Birds in Taiwan published

Introduces common birdsʼ behavior and habits.
Wins the UDN Literatiʼs Best Children’s Book Award.
Wins the 3rd Little Sun Award from Government Information Office.

Taipei: Taiwan Interminds Publishing

Liu on the UDN Literatiʼs Best Children’s Book Award ceremony.

Travel guide The Nature Tour in Northern Taiwan Guide published

Seeks to improve the quality of tourism in Taiwan.
Wins the Top Ten Domestic Books Award from Tomorrow Times, Taiwanʼs first electronic newspaper.

Taichung: Morning Star Publishing Inc.

Prose collection Straying for One Day in the Small Town published

Continues the investigation of small town tourism.
Listed as one of the Top Ten Books of the Year, Editorsʼ Choice, on www.books.com.tw

Taipei: Crown publisher

Teen fiction Teenagersʼ Green Paper: Our Travels on the Island published

Wins the China Times Open Book Award for Teen Books.

Taipei: Taiwan Interminds Publishing

Wins the 21st Wu Luqin Award for prose

Prose collection The Lost Fruits and Vegetables published

Explores the gradually forgotten nature in common peopleʼs daily life.
Wins the Golden Tripod Award.
Joins the International Writersʼ Workshop hosted by the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Explores hills and fields in Hong Kong.
Serves as the curator of the 1st Taiwan Ecological Film Festival.

Taipei: 2-fishes

Novel Hill of Stray Dogs published

Edited by his wife Chu Huiching.
Begins longterm cooperation with his wife.
Joins the conservation of Zhongbu Shan.
Uses the Songs of the Green Hill trilogy as the basic reference material.
Participates in “Stray Cats and Dogs Rescue Project.”

Taipei: Yuan-Liou Publishing Co.,Ltd.

Resigns from the Executive Vice-Directorship of the China Timesʼ literary supplement

Dedicates himself to writing as well as nature conservation.

Novel Albatross Forever published

Uses elements of Taiwan history in this animal fiction.
Wins the Taipei International Book Exhibition Prize.
Writer-in-Residence at National Chung Hsing University.

Taipei: Yuan-Liou Publishing Co.,Ltd.

Prose collection Eleven-Dollar Train Trips published

Wins the China Times Open Book Award.
Wins the Golden Tripod Award for Best Literature from Government Information Office.
Wins the Book of Taoyuan.
Wins the Book of Taichung.
Writer-in-Residence at National Dong Hwa University.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

The China Times Open Book Award trophy.

Prose collection 15 Little Planets published

Wins the China Times Open Book Award.
Wins the Golden Tripod Award.
Takes part in the Taiwanese-German literature exchange program.
Stays in Berlin for a month.
Participates in the Frankfurt Book Fair on behalf of Taiwan.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu giving a speech at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Invited as a visiting writer at City University of Hong Kong

Guides students to know the natural environment of Hong Kong.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu with students from City University doing fieldwork.

Writer-in-Residence at Lingnan University (Hong Kong)

Introduces students to country parks and wetlands.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu with students from Lingnan University doing fieldwork.

Prose collection Markets for Men published

Explores nature in the living space of common peopleʼs daily life.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu visiting Muzha Fruit and Vegetable Market.

Co-hosts the television program Slow Travel Adventures with writer Wang Hao-yi on Public Television

Participates in television program to production, representing fieldwork experience .

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

Liu doing fieldwork, 2014.

Hiking guidebook Three Fourths of Hong Kong: Across the Mountains, through the Village, Spotting Fung Shui Woods published

Begins writing on Hong Kongʼs nature.
Wins the China Times Open Book Award.
Wins the Taipei International Book Award.
Wins the Yazhou Zhoukanʼ Top Ten Books of the Year.
Wins the 8th Hong Kong Book Prize.
Wins the Tencent-Daily Chinese Book Award for the Simplified Chinese version of Three Fourths of Hong Kong.

Taipei: Yuan-Liou Publishing Co.,Ltd.

Wins the 5th Taichung Literature Prize for Contribution to Literature

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

The Taichung Literature Prize trophy.

Wins his third Taipei International Book Exhibition Award for Stray Cats

Win the 10th Hong Kong Book Prize.

Photograph provided by Liu Ka-shiang

the Taipei International Book Exhibition Award trophy.

Wins the 52nd Golden Bell Awards with Wang Hao-yi