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Auguste François, Yin Xiaojun and Kunming at the end of the Qing DynastyThursday, 29th May 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Like most other Chinese cities, Kunming has been racing toward abstract ideas such as 'modernity' and 'development' via extensive demolition of the remaining older parts of the city to make way for gleaming high-rises filled with offices, apartments and retail space. First-time visitors to Kunming, be they Chinese or foreign, have to put a real effort into finding the few older parts of the city that are still around. Until 1952, Kunming was a walled city – the wall and its gates are long gone, but their existence still echoes today in place names like Xiao Ximen (小西门, 'Lesser west gate') and Beimen Jie (北门街, 'North gate Street'). There are also less obvious connections to the wall, such as Qingnian Lu (青年路, 'Youth Road'), which was once Kunming's east wall. The city government in 1952 ordered hundreds of young people to tear down the wall and use its bricks to make a new road running north-south. To show its appreciation for the young people that demolished the east wall, the city government named the new street after them. With the wall out of the way, Kunming began marching toward a future in which for several decades development trumped culture heritage. History is one of the primary contributors to any city's character, with older physical structures offering the most palpable connection to the past. In 2008, almost all of pre-1949 Kunming has been razed to clear a path for modernity. On some levels this could be considered true progress as many of Kunming's older buildings were built of earth and lacked simple amenities such as plumbing. That said, some may argue that wholesale demolition of a city comes at a psychological cost. "I feel that many Chinese people have no faith," Kunming native and private photo collector Yin Xiaojun (殷晓俊) told GoKunming. Yin has spent the last 10 years researching a collection of photos by Auguste François (1857-1935), who served as French consul in south China between 1896 and 1904, during which he spent several years in Kunming and elsewhere in Yunnan working on obtaining a concession from the local government to build the rail line from Vietnam to Kunming, which was then known as Yunnan-fu (云南府). "Many of us are looking for where we've come from and where we're going," Yin said. "Through the extensive photography of Auguste François, we can discover where we've come from. His photography is the earliest, largest and most complete collection of photographs documenting Chinese society at the end of the Qing Dynasty"
Over the last ten years, Yin has researched his entire collection of François' photographs, comparing them to documents from the Yunnan provincial government's archives as well as translations of François' memoirs. In order to make the photos more useful in a historical context, he has spent the last decade ascertaining the subject, location, social background and photographer. After acquiring 1,241 François photographs and motion pictures via purchase and exchanges with French cultural organizations, Yin held his first exhibition of 360 photos from the collection in Kunming in 1997 at the Yunnan Provincial Museum. More than 250,000 people bought tickets to take a look at Kunming at the start of the 20th Century, setting an attendance record for a single exhibition at the museum that still stands today. Subsequently Yin was invited by 44 mainland cities to bring his collection to their top museums – he chose four: Beijing, Xi'an, Zhengzhou and Chengdu. In 1999 he ceased exhibiting the photographs because he felt a need to find out as much as he could about each shot's story. Fast-forwarding to today, Yin says he has completed his research and is preparing several projects related to the François photo archives. In October of last year, he traveled to the locations of all the François photos to document the current conditions of the places François shot more than a century ago. His travels took him to Singapore, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan and Shanghai. He is planning on using the then-and-now photos in a new book he began writing this year. Yin said he would also like to organize a new exhibition of François' photos highlighting the massive change in China over the last century. His end game, however, is to build a museum that displays the collection permanently. GoKunming thanks Yin Xiaojun for providing a sample of photos from the François archives to share with our readers. Over the coming months we will publish 25 photos and their stories every Wednesday. We hope that the photos will help bridge the gap between Kunming's distant past and its dynamic present. Contact Yin Xiaojun: His ten years of researching the François photos behind him, Yin Xiaojun is open to discussing possible cooperation with individuals and organizations interested in the collection. Yin can be contacted at yinxiaoj(at)public.km.yn.cn. Auguste François image: Association Auguste François Tags: Auguste François, Beimen Jie, Guangdong, Guangxi, history, Hong Kong, photography, Shanghai, Sichuan, Singapore, Xiao Ximen, Yin Xiaojun, Yunnan-fu Exhibition: Two Journeys, One DestinationWednesday, 5th September 2007 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (1)The exhibition, entitled "Two Journeys, One Destination", features 101 photographs of China from the Princess' 25 years of travels in China. The Princess is fluent in Mandarin and literate in classical Chinese. Her works are joined by 100 photographs by CCTV's Zhao taken during her travels in Thailand over the last two years. "Two Journeys, One Destination" has been traveling throughout the country since April. When the exhibition's own journey finishes, it will have visited Beijing, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Kunming and Nanning. Admission to the exhibition is free. Tags: arts and entertainment, photography, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Rita Zhao, Yunnan Provincial Museum Three photos have been selected as winners in GoKunming's first reader photo contest. Each winner will receive a pass for two weeks of unlimited free yoga at Yutao Yoga in downtown Kunming. Thanks to all readers who submitted photos and congratulations to our winners, here they are: Julie Perng: Buyi children
Mike Fougere: Flower
Jenny Obando: Kids playing cards
Tags: photography, Yutao Yoga
Until the end of July, GoKunming readers have a chance to win an unlimited two-week Yutao Yoga pass. This allows the holder of the pass to go to as many yoga classes as they like in a two week period (time starts the day you take the first class). In order to win a pass, send us your favourite Kunming photo using the form here (click the 'Browse' button to find the photo on your computer). We're going to choose the three best photos, and give away one pass to the sender of each of them. Look for a photo gallery of the entries on GoKunming next month! Tags: photography, Yutao Yoga
Kunming isn't the only place in Yunnan enjoying the recent arrival of spring flowers. The county of Luoping in eastern Yunnan has entered its most beautiful time of year, when its fields of canola (also known as rapeseed) flowers are in full bloom, surrounding the area's mountains with a sea of golden flowers to spectacular effect. Located near where Yunnan meets Guizhou and Guangxi, Luoping is about 240 kilometers east of Kunming. Not unlike the terraced fields of Yuanyang in southern Yunnan, Luoping's canola fields attract hordes of photographers in search of the perfect photograph. Luoping's golden beauty will be around until late June. During this high travel season for the county there are regular buses leaving from Kunming's bus stations on an almost hourly basis. Accomodations in Luoping range from cheap 10-yuan boarding houses to more expensive star-rated hotels. Tags: canola, Luoping, photography, rapeseed
The George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, USA is hosting a photographic exhibit entitled Voices from South of the Clouds, a collection of 51 photographs of northwestern Yunnan province taken by local villagers. The photos are the result of the Photovoice project, which was sponsored in Yunnan by the Chinese government, The Nature Conservancy and Eastman Kodak Co. Photovoice was conducted in northwestern Yunnan in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy's Yunnan Great Rivers Project, which is focused on preserving biological and ethnic diversity in northwest Yunnan, which is arguably the most biodiverse region on the planet.
The photos in the Voices from South of the Clouds exhibit document the lifestyles found in northwestern Yunnan, which are characterized by their agricultural modes of production, religious beliefs, unique food and drinks and musical traditions. The photos also offer women's perspectives in these patriarchic societies. The Eastman House will feature Voices from South of the Clouds through May 28. Images: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Tags: Kodak, photography, Photovoice |
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