Magnificent China

Author: Che Fu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: The publication of the "Magnificent China" album is a joyous occasion. This album, a panoramic view of China's landscapes captured from an aerial perspective, can also be described as an impassioned ode to the great socialist motherland. It is believed that the publication of "Magnificent China" on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China will surely inspire our patriotic passion, awaken our national pride, and cultivate our aesthetic sentiments. At the same time, the publication of this album coincides with the upcoming 99th Kunming World Horticultural Expo, which will play a positive role in promoting and introducing China to the world. "Magnificent China" fully showcases the magnificent natural landscapes of our great motherland and introduces the profound Chinese culture and civilization. The people who happily live on this land do not all have the opportunity to take an aerial view of our shared home, and this album, in a certain sense, makes up for this shortcoming. The capital city of Beijing, captured from an airplane, is so vast and magnificent; Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, symbols of China, radiate prosperity and are resplendent in gold and jade. The Yellow River, known as the cradle of Chinese culture, appears from above like a vibrant dragon winding across the land of China; the fertile plains on both banks stretch for thousands of miles, showcasing the world-renowned Chinese civilization. From the Yangtze River to the Great Wall, from the artistic treasure house of Dunhuang to the Jia Pass, shrouded in mist like a silhouette; from the Northeast Plain of Heilongjiang, Songhua, and Nenjiang rivers to Tibet, Lhasa, and the solemn Potala Palace; from Fujian and Jiangxi, flying across vast lands following the path of the Long March to Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Shaanxi, with its rolling hills like the waves of the sea, to the revolutionary holy land of Yan'an; from the snow-capped Xinjiang with its beautiful pastures to Shanghai's skyscrapers and overpasses; from Hong Kong's myriad lights to the dawn flag-raising ceremony on the five-starred flagpole of the Nansha Islands; to the rising sun in the mist of the Taiwan Strait—every photograph taken by the photographer reveals the magnificent natural scenery of the motherland, the long-standing and rich cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, and the tremendous changes that have occurred in China over the past 20 years of reform and opening up. Opening the "Magnificent China" album, the wind of reform and opening up and the breeze of new-era civilization sweep before us. Some of the construction achievements depicted in the images are unforgettable. The skyscrapers that have sprouted like bamboo shoots in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province, including the Shenzhen Landmark Tower, now one of the tallest buildings in the country, are well-known to everyone; while the overpasses in Urumqi, Xinjiang, twist and turn like dragons and phoenixes, much to the surprise and delight of many. The majestic Gezhouba and the ongoing Three Gorges Project, a monumental feat of engineering, are also captured in historical moments in the album. The album also records the fervent construction scenes of the Nan-Kun Railway and the Shanghai Nanpu Bridge. Other scenes, such as bustling ports, bridges spanning like rainbows, and especially the new phenomena of the new era—such as the widespread highways, nature reserves, high-tech development zones, and beautiful residential communities across the country—leave us with profound and pleasant impressions. The "Magnificent China" album reflects, from a certain perspective, the ever-changing progress brought to China by reform and opening up. The author of "Magnificent China," Comrade Che Fu, is a photographer in the armed forces and also the person who discovered the great waterfall in the Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge. The images in this album are the result of more than 30 years of painstaking effort, truly remarkable. The author pays equal attention to the formal beauty of the images and the rich ideological content, achieving a perfect harmony between form and content. This album is not only highly artistic but also politically significant, demonstrating great aesthetic and social value. I hope he will continue to strive and further use photographic art to better serve the people, serve socialism, and make greater contributions to promoting the motherland and its people.