Living High and Low in China

I've recently had a another peek into the "high life" of China and living in "low" conditions in China.

On Friday I attended the 2009 China International Jewelry Fair and saw gobs and gobs of bling. (And hordes of people buying it.) You name it: diamonds, pearls, gold, precious and semi-precious gems were all on display. There were booths from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and all parts of China. Tourmalines (both watermelon and different colors) were popular, as were sapphires, rubies, gold and GIA diamonds. The most curious items? Pure gold busts of famous Chinese leaders and war craft! More delicate were the pure gold Song Dynasty dancers and musicians.


In contrast, I and a Swedish friend revisited the Three Shadows Photography Center and saw a moving exhibit by Zhuang Hui and Dan'er called "Yumen 2006-2009: A Photography Exhibit". Zhuang Hui grew up in Yumen (玉门）in Gansu Province. Originally a boom town built on the discovery of oil, when oil started drying up, so did the town services and population. In 2006 Zhuang Hui and his colleague Dan'er opened up an ordinary photo shop supplying inhabitants of Yumen with basic services: identification photos, family photos, individual portrait photos, etc. At the same time, they documented the insidious decay of a former boom town left on its own. The exhibit first barrages the viewer with the various portrait and i.d. photos of Yumen civilians. Photo after photo engage one with the individual or family and their dreams; one background echoes a Hawaiian beach scene, another a Mediterranean villa. Solemn face after solemn face march along identity card after identify card photo. Then, down a short flight of stairs, mixed overhead screens illustrate the reality of the Yumen these people live in. It is a Yumen in decline, filled with decaying apartment complexes, roads in disrepair and abandoned oil wells.

This is not just a Chinese phenomenon, but a world-wide occurrence: What happens when a town dries up?

Here is a personal and poignant example at the Three Photography Art Center (三影堂摄影术中心）in Caochangdi (草场地). Check it out at www.threeshadows.cn. I highly recommend it.