Through a Chinese Lens
I found some interesting photo sites while reading today’s online China Daily. The link to the whole page of links is http://www.chinadaily.com.cn//photo/ and the especially Chinese ones are at the bottom. It includes photos of ordinary people’s work, drought in Yunnan and a few others which may be of interest. It will be interesting to see how Yunnan looks when I go in a couple of weeks.
Towards the top of the page is a link to animals. If you ever wanted to see a seal pup with long fur or the meaning of “under my wing” it’s the spot to visit.
This site http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/wangwenlan/ from today’s paper also showcases one photographer’s black and white photos from the past. I’d prefer to see them in colour, but they are worth a look. Each group contains about 10 photos and bicycles are a dominant theme. One shows a man riding backwards in a normal street and another of 4 on a bike. I’ve often seen 3 people but never 4. And the one peddling is smiling.
I found the one on work particularly interesting as the nature of Chinese society and economy mean that work in China can be so different from that at home. Similar jobs may be done the same or differently. Numerous jobs exist don’t exist at home. I have many photos of people in their workday lives. However, I am still shy about taking them and miss many opportunities. I don’t want to be seen as an intruder into lives which may be considered less fortunate than mine. On the other hand, many are happy to have their photo taken if I ask. I’ve only had one refusal. Sometimes they are selling something I choose to buy which makes a photo shoot possible. Others are situated in tourist areas or are selling something interesting and both situations make them “fair game” for a photographer. Many photos are not particularly clear because the subject is fast moving or I take them quickly to avoid drawing attention to myself. Unfortunately I was too slow to catch one of the workmen replacing the light bulb outside my door. One stood upon 2 chairs stacked on each other while the second held the chairs.
It was not until I saw today’s photos that I remembered some scenes I saw on Tuesday. I left here during siesta time which the Chinese seem to call “rest” time. Before I met the pup I passed a man lying on his back in a dead patch in a nature strip. There was a group of workmen standing chatting within spitting distance of him. If I saw the scene in Australia my mind would consider two options. On Tuesday I simply considered he’d decided it was time to sleep. I’ve seen quite a people asleep in odd places now.
Many stallholders go home at rest time. Some don’t. They provide themselves with hammocks or chairs they can lean back in, while others drowse on their stools or against their vehicles. Two of the stallholders in the massage street were lying on the footpath on quilts. One was a father with young child who was quietly grizzling while the mother was covering cut watermelon with plastic wrap. I think the father was the first one I’ve ever seen lying on his side. All of the others have been flat on their backs.
The photos were taken exactly a year ago during one walk. Three show different responses to rest time and three show people working or going to work.