Excellent Work of the 5th Cyber-Island Photography Contest
Photographer: Tai-Sheng Ren
Date and place photos were taken: 2009; Xinpu Township, Hsinchu County

Working together

To maintain the transmission lines, both the technicians in the air and on the ground require a high degree of cooperation in addition to the logistic support such as a variety of machines and tools.

Trapeze artists

Climbing electricity pole with bare hands is basic skills of the technicians in the electricity distribution and maintenance squad.

Masters of electricity distribution

To become a trapeze artist in Taiwan Power Company, one needs to be brave and skillful since it is quite dangerous to conduct maintenance work at such a height.

High-altitude pass

The ground crew has to observe the movements of technicians working at height in order to provide timely support.

A sight of an electricity tower

Although the routes of electricity transmission lines are picturesque, the technicians are always hard at work and time-pressed to enjoy the scenery.

The electricity generated by the power plants has to be converted to voltages by the transmission and transformation system in order to be delivered to clients. If we say the power plant is the hematopoietic bone marrow, then the transmission lines are the blood vessels which run throughout our body. When a transmission line is disconnected, just like a blocked blood vessel, it will cause power outage and paralyze an area. People’s daily life and regional development will be severely affected.

The electricity, which we can neither see nor touch, is transmitted over the mountain, under the ground, or cross the ocean. The “trapeze artists” in Taiwan Power Company are the quiet guardians of these transmission lines. They are the backstage heroes who light up Taiwan’s prospects and flourish the whole island.

To become a “trapeze artist” for Taiwan Power Company is no easy matter. In addition to having good coordination skills and no fear of heights, one has to be able to endure loneness. These “trapeze artists” used to be called the “electric power Gypsies.” In the beginning of Taiwan’s electric power installation era, the technicians often had to travel deep into the mountains to set up power lines. When the lines were completed at one end of a mountain, the technicians then had to move to the other end of the mountain to continue their work. They sometimes had to stay in isolated mountains for months; therefore, enduring loneliness is a very important task for them.

Most “trapeze artists” in Taiwan Power Company belong to the power distribution division and power supply division. Their main responsibilities are to install and maintain power lines. They have to go through professional training for at least six months before they are dispatched to a work site. The training include climbing up electric tower 20 meters high, stay there alone to complete an assignment, even having meals and answering the call of nature in the air. The hardship these technicians have to go through is hard for outsiders to comprehend.

To view Gold Prize of the 5th Cyber-Island Photography Contest, please go to The Funeral Orchestra.

Text and images are provided by Exhibition of Cyber Island, Taiwan