If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the value of a picture of someone holding a poster full of carefully selected handwritten words? I just stumbled across this amazing series of photos from British photographer Adrian Fisk, on BlindBoys.org. (UPDATED 10/22/11 - here is the correct link)
Rainbow Su – 22 Yrs Student software engineering Guangdong Province ‘I am worrying something. Girls in China is becoming materialistic, without house my girlfriend would not marry me. My parents cannot help me either. So I need to get good job with high payment, that’s what I totally want’.
Here is part of Fisk’s introduction:
I have just returned from a 12500 km journey through China to find an answer to this question. I looked for young Chinese aged from 16 – 30 years, gave them a piece of paper and simply told them they could write what ever they wanted to on the piece of paper, I then photographed them holding the paper.
The results are fascinating.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from his collection. Click here to see them all. More of my favorites here below the jump.
Ba Te Er – 18 Yrs Was a Mongolian herder but due to a ban on keeping lifestock in the area is now a tourist guide Inner Mongolia (Illiterate) ‘Without my horse I am nothing’.
Lim – 22 Yrs Student of party politics Beijing ‘Do not judge China from the media, because the real China is not on the papers’.
Wong Jing Yi – 30 Yrs Works in a sex shop in Hong Kong ‘I don’t want children’.
Feng Long – 21 Yrs First time migrant labourer working on new building interiors Shanghai ‘Why aren’t there any companies setting up factories in the countryside? We don’t want to work as migrant labourers’.
Song Jing Ping – 22 Yrs Runs two basic restaurants with her fiancee Hubei Province (Migrated from a village 400km away) ‘When people leave their village to live in the city, it is very hard for them to return’.
Click here to see the rest of the photos.
8 Responses to Amazing Photos from Adrian Fisk’s “I Speak China”
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I'm Leslie and I connect entrepreneurs in Chile, China, California, and beyond — especially through translation, training, and trade. More about me.
What a fascinating portrait. I think that the last girl reminds me a lot of Leslie Chang’s work “Factory Girls” – if you haven’t read it, you absolutely must. It’s quite a unique perspective and thanks for sharing
Yes, I’ve read the book. It’s one of my favorite China books. Actually both my dad and my brother bought it for me… they know me well! We’re currently in the midst of a family book club, since both my dad and my grandma are reading it
Thanks for the comment
Hey…um…who am I adressing please? I have just “stumbled” upon your blog linked from Christina Larson…if I remember correctly. Early stages of Altzheimers you know…Maybe you are my evil twin from a parallel universe…maybe not. Please confirm that http://www.twitter.com/China70sChild is following you on twitter. Also if you have the time or inclination please check out http://www.waihekepianotrio.com Many thanks from a geriatric geek in New Zealand
We’re evil twins from a parallel universe? I may have several of these
Thanks for the comments!
here’s a cool interview with Fisk about his project, which actually came back to the headlines in recent days: http://www.thinkingchinese.com/photographer-adrian-fisk-talks-about-his-ispeak-china-project
Thanks Roger for your comment! Did you see this series from Marie Stopes International, about what Chinese youth think about sex? http://www.chinahush.com/2011/09/14/what-chinese-youth-say-about-sex/ It appears to follow Fisk’s work, which was widely distributed in Chinese magazines.
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