540 Rare Photos You Have Never Seen, Revealed by a Historical Photo Collector through his Korea's National Memory 1860s-1960s Album
2025-08-01Hsu Chung Mao is a veteran journalist with 20 years of frontline reporting experience in major global conflicts. Now heading Nueva Vision Co, Ltd, he specializes in publishing historical photo albums under two studios, one in Taiwan “Hsu Chung Mao Studio” (徐宗懋圖文馆) and one in mainland China “Qin Feng Studio” (秦風老照片馆). In 2023 he published “Korea under Japanese Occupation, 1918–1945” and in 2024, he partnered with the Korean publisher Booksea and published three books: “Hanyang”, “Tradition and People”, and “Destruction and Restoration”. These albums have been very well received by Korean readers.
This year, to mark the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, Hsu presented a complete collection of historical photos of Korea containing 540 photos that he had gathered over the past 20 years, including previously unreleased photos of Ahn Jung-geun’s room and street scenes during the Japanese colonial period, and images of landowners oppressed by Japanese soldiers. To know more about his passion as a historical photo collector and his latest book, on July 29th I held an email interview with him.
“My aim is to showcase images that depict the last century of Korea’s history, especially those that have disappeared or are no longer accessible, as a way to summarize and conclude this long-term work,” he said.
All 540 rare photos in the book were carefully selected. The book contains historical records in many dimensions - people, events, daily life, natural scenery, historical architecture. For Hsu, it’s not just a few standout photos, but rather the collective impact of the entire presentation that evokes a shared social memory.
“If I had to highlight specific photos, I’d mention the royal court of the Joseon dynasty, the traditional residences of Hanyang, the oppression under Japanese occupation, the brutality of the Korean War, and the Korean people’s efforts to rebuild their homeland after liberation. These images are deeply moving, and readers may see reflections of their own family histories within them,” he said.
Hsu has been collecting historical photographs for over 30 years. As a Chinese person from Taiwan, his main focus has been on Chinese historical photos, including those from Taiwan which he views as an integral part of Chinese history, given their intrinsic connections. While collecting Chinese photos, he discovered some related to the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea during WWII, particularly in Chongqing. Those included high quality photos of the Korean Liberation Army. That was when he developed an interest in Korean historical photos. He continued buying good historical photos of Korea whenever he came across them in antique markets.
“I remember once, several years ago, I found a collection of exceptional Korean historical photographs in a used bookstore in Tokyo. It was a nine-volume photo album documenting the Japanese military’s occupation of Korea in 1905. It was priced at USD 20,000. I didn’t have that much money, and I hesitated even though I really wanted it. But my wife encouraged me, so I ended up purchasing it with two credit cards.” he recalled.
Hsu has been collecting Korean historical photographs intermittently for over 20 years. Given his extensive experience in editing historical photo albums, Hsu explained the process for creating his latest photobook. “The editing process didn’t take long as the resources, historical perspective, and editing skills were already well developed.”
From June 18-22, Hsu’s company participated at the Seoul International Book Fair. Hsu said that they invested heavily in these pictorial books which made the book prices relatively high, thus making them less accessible for some readers, especially younger ones. But during the fair, he always encouraged people to sit down and flip through the books and to enjoy the experience of appreciating historical visuals. “It’s not only visually pleasing, but also a profound way to feel the difficult journey of a nation - the pain, joy, despair, and hope, all merging like a song that echoes within the heart. Personally, I deeply enjoy engaging with readers; it’s a strong, vivid life experience for me and it’s also the original motivation behind publishing these books,” said Hsu. “It is the culmination of the efforts we have poured in over the past 20 years, and it is also a tribute to this land, its people, and the times we love,” he added.
Apart from being very grateful to see how Korean readers have been incredibly passionate about his book, he also had a particularly special experience when former President Moon Jae-in visited his booth. President Moon viewed Hsu’s Korean history photo albums, especially the ones showing the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in China and images of Chairman Kim Gu. “He was very moved. We even had a historical dialogue where I told him that although the current environment has changed, the shared anti-colonial, anti-imperialist spirit still lives on,” Hsu recalled.
From that meeting, Hsu donated some high-quality historical photos of the Provisional Government in Chongqing and the Korean Liberation Army, which will be exhibited at President Moon's bookstore on August 15 (Korea's Liberation Day) where there will be a commemorative event. “In this way, I also feel I am participating in the 80th anniversary commemorations of Korea’s liberation,” said Hsu.
As the interview ends, Hsu shared his thoughts in commemorating the 80th anniversary of Korea's Liberation. He believes both Chinese (including Taiwan) and Korea shared historical trauma of Japanese colonization for decades. This has created mutual support between the two nations during the struggle against Japanese rule. “Our historical education has similar themes - resistance against invasion and colonialism, which reflects the spirit behind rebuilding our homelands. Although the present day world has changed, and today’s Japan is no longer the same as the former Japanese Empire, we still remember our shared history and, based on that, work together to promote peace in the region and the world.”
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