Si Chi Ko is known as the first master of modern Taiwanese photography. His supreme photographic technique, coupled with artistic sensitivity, places him in a pivotal position in the establishment of a photographic aesthetic in Taiwan. He was born in Taiwan in 1929, when Taiwan was still under Japanese occupation, and his life was punctuated with many unusual events and interesting episodes. Driven by a passion for the best in art and life, he engaged in a quest which took him from Taiwan to Tokyo, from Tokyo to the United States, and then on to southern Europe and North Africa. In order to fulfill his artistic ideals, he often had to let go of what he had already achieved in fame, applause and wealth, and move on to wherever his quest led him. His adventurous spirit always made him look forward to the future.

Having finished grade school, Ko went to a junior college in Kaohsiung to study engineering. At that time, Taiwanese society was undergoing tremendous political change. After fifty-one years of Japanese occupation, the island was returned to China at the end of World War II. People from mainland China took over Ko's school from the Japanese. The students were at first happy to see this development, but they were quickly disappointed. The Chinese who took over the school were so corrupt that they even sold school equipment and put the money in their own pockets. Enraged by such deeds, Ko decided that he would not receive any more education under the Chinese. Although he had always done well at school, he gave up the chance of going on to university and started working in a chemical company.

It was there that he got his first camera. The manager of the company was Japanese who had taken a liking to Ko. When he was about to go back to his own country, he gave a camera to the young man as a present. "A camera was still a rarity at that time. It made me popular with girls. They often asked me to take pictures of them." But if Ko had only used the camera to win girls' hearts, he would not have ended up as a great photographer. He spent a lot of time with his new equipment. He read books on photography and learned to prepare chemical baths and to develop film by himself. Young and eager to learn, he was like a sponge trying to absorb whatever he could. In addition to photography, he was also interested in music, literature and astronomy. Almost all the money he made at that time was spent on books and record albums. His friend, Liu Sheng-fu, was very good at painting, and they often talked about the fine arts. Ko's sensitivity for art was developed at that time. Today, when he meets young people who have a passion for photography, he always advises them to learn and study as much as they can, not just photography. He believes that to be a good photographer, the most important thing is not mastery of photographic techniques, but an open heart that sets no limits on itself.