The sun rises and I rise too

Author: Peng Guoliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This book collects scenes and stories of childhood innocence, fun, and memories. It is co-shot by Zhuo Ya and Qiang Haiping, members of the China Photographers Association. Illustrated with images and written in easy-to-understand language, perhaps childhood has passed, and the children in the pictures are mostly parents today. If one day, you recognize the kid in diapers or bare-skinned as yourself, may it bring a smile from the bottom of your heart and a warm memory!
One day in the late 1970s, I went to the Dongting Lake area for inspiration. In memory, the riverbank was bustling with activity, large fishing boats were coming ashore. Fish and shrimp leaped in abundance, people toiling with shoulder poles and backs bent, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun, and laughter swirled in the evening breeze. The lively riverbank deeply moved us, and a few photography enthusiasts were shooting with great excitement. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, I glanced back and unexpectedly saw a so tranquil and unique world: on the other side of the riverbank, under a giant drying net, two fishing buddies were squatting on the sand, intently digging holes and mixing mud. They placed the dead fish and shrimp in seashells and gently released them into the sand pits. They were so immersed in their play, so absorbed, that the distant noise seemed entirely unrelated to them. Even my footsteps and the camera’s shutter sound had no effect on them. This scene held me captive, sparking endless thoughts.
When their bodies grow strong and their faces turn bronze, they will face wind and rain, stars and moon. But does it matter? They have their stories of today, their secrets of today, their tranquility and sanctity of today! From then on, I made it a point to collect scenes and stories of childhood innocence, fun, and memories. Later, my husband, Qiang Haiping, joined in the photography, and now we have thousands of photos. As my dear friend Peng Guoliang said, "For children in the city, the childhood in this book is a different kind of childhood. In this different childhood, there are cows, sheep, birds, and insects; there are sun, moon, water, and fire; there are mountains, stones, and fields, and there is poverty and backwardness, but also innocence and simplicity. In this different childhood, children are close to the land, and close to every blade of grass and tree on it. For many 'parents' in the city, the childhood in this book is a distant memory. This distant memory feels like yesterday. Yesterday evokes nostalgia, and yesterday also brings sadness."
My dear friend Peng Guoliang paired it with over 400 poems and essays, and I have compiled this part into a book. Childhood is gone, and the children in the pictures are mostly parents today. If one day, you recognize the kid in diapers or bare-skinned as yourself, may it bring a smile from the bottom of your heart and a warm memory!