The Chain

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Renowned Taiwanese photographer Chien-Chi Chang captures the Long Fa Tang Temple in Taiwan, where 700 mental patients, many chained together, help farm one million chickens. In 1970, Ki Lun-Tai, an abbot in Kaohsiung, decided to become a Buddhist monk, adopting a schizophrenic disciple and starting a farm with pigs and chickens, using a string leash to keep his helper in check. Over 20 years, he transformed into Hieh Kai Feng, amassing 600 helpers, mostly consigned by families ashamed of caring for their mentally ill relatives. By 1999, Long Fa Tang became Taiwan's largest chicken farm, with a million chickens tended by these patients, who navigated through slurry, eggs, and corpses. Hieh Kai Feng replaced the string with light chains for better control, chaining the patients together day and night. He believes he is alleviating the burden on their families while taking care of them. Chang, born in Taiwan in 1961, photographed this scene with awe, creating a catalogue that reflects the infinite humanity and its consequences. His work is repetitive, squalid, and reminiscent of childlike uncertainties. In 2003, this book received the Pictures of the Year Best Book Award and was featured in PDN's Photo Annual as one of the year's best books.