More China!
It's been a few days and it's 2am and we're going to Tianamenn Square tomorrow, so I'm going to try to keep this short... After that first day of skating we were looking forward to exploring a little, but we couldn't get a driver, so we stayed in camp, cruised around, skated more, and shot more photos. I'll get some sequences up soon. I hope.
Yesterday morning, Claudine, Corey, Neal and I went to this place Neal had told us about: an amazing farmer's market where the locals farmers from Daxing (pronounced Dahshing) district sell their produce to wholesalers, who then take it closer to town and sell it for a profit. The farmers and their families were very friendly, but it was obvious that they didn't have much experience with white folks with cameras walking through their zones. And Corey, in full standard regalia, turned more than a few heads. It took me a little while to get comfortable with our invasion, but after a while I was able to pick up on each person's vibe, and really, almost all the people were pretty comfortable with themselves and were happy to let us shoot. They especially liked being able to see their photos on the screen. It was as if they'd never seen photos of themselves before. Very interesting, and beautiful people who live an enviably simple life.
After getting out of the camp in the morning, it was time to get out of the country, so last night we went to Beijing to The Place, a shopping center with a good restaurant and a crazy TV screen on the ceiling that is about 200 yards long. We wandered around a little but then it was time to head to camp for a late night session.
Today we were able to uncover the plaza and Corey and Cairo got busy. I shot a bunch of rolling sequences, which was super fun, but I haven't been able to process them all yet... Tonight we had a great dinner -- we're back in the city and staying at what Neal calls (and I agree) the best $99 hotel hes ever stayed at!
The trip has been a trip, and there is still a lot to see. The camp's skate stuff is going to be amazing. Actually, it already is amazing, and they're not even done yet... Enjoy the photos and I'll post more tomorrow night.
Comments
Great post, totally agree
Great post, totally agree with you on that point.
They would tell you their
They would tell you their lives are simple, and in no way is that a bad thing -- they see it as a good thing. They grow vegetables, they sell them every day, and that's the bulk of their daily lives. They are poor by our standards but their lives are very rich with family, friends, and joy. They are not at all caught up in the "complicated" stuff that fills the lives of anyone looking at this site. They've never seen the internet, they've never, for the most part, seen digital cameras, and were totally intrgued by us showing them their photos. Saying their lives are simple is accurate, and is not an insult. I wish my life was simpler and have been working towards that for 10 years.
Love the photos but I think
Love the photos but I think its highly incorrect to call these peoples lives simple.
Great photos. The skate
Great photos. The skate shots with all the warm clothes remind me of the old NJ / PA days. Safe travels
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