They - A Decade of Dust and Stories Documented by a Photographer - Black Lens: China's Story 08

Author: Zhao Tielin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: They are the marginalized groups in society. They engage in an ancient yet always taboo profession—prostitution. The world they inhabit is unknown to the public, and their various life stories and tumultuous fates have rarely been truly cared about or pursued by anyone. After experiencing hardships in his own life, the author self-exiled himself to the lowest rungs of society and encountered this group of women struggling to survive, sharing the same marginalized identity and perspective as them. Over a decade of cohabitation, he approached and observed them at a close distance, faithfully documenting their self-taught achievements and the origins and developments of their lives. A complete record of 130,000 words, accompanied by 460 documentary photographs, forms the life stories of 10 women, painting a grayscale tapestry of social realities. They are now shown to the world in such a real and direct manner.
Author Bio: Zhao Tielin, male, Manchu. Born on January 15, 1948, in Beizhen County, Liaoning Province. From 1968 to 1970, he served as a youth worker in Henan. In October 1970, he worked at the Xinhua Machinery Factory in Xinxiang City. In 1978, he was admitted to the Industrial Automation program at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In 1986, he joined the Institute of Computing Technology at the Beijing Academy of Sciences. In 1989, he "went commercial" and became the manager of the Development Department of Dameng Technology. In 1990, he established two companies in Zhengzhou and Haikou. However, both companies went bankrupt in May 1994. In 1994, he became a freelance photographer. In 1996, he pursued photography and literary studies. To date, he has published dozens of photo-essays on social issues, receiving widespread public attention and recognition from domestic peers. He has also published multiple thematic reports in publications such as , China Youth News, New Weekly, Light and Shadow, Southern Weekly, and People's Photography. In April 1999, he published Focusing on Survival: Nomadic Girls on the Urban Fringe (prefaced by renowned sociologist Pan Suiming), and in September 2000, he published Alternative Lives: A Photographer's Glimpse of the Real World (prefaced by renowned sociologist Shan Guangding). This year, he plans to publish his third book: Bonfires by the Wei River. Zhao Tielin was named one of the "30 Most Important Photographers in China (2000)" by . The organizers of the event, Na Ruisong and Dou Haijun, noted that "'prostitute,' a sensitive and difficult-to-capture subject, propelled Zhao Tielin to prominence in the Chinese photography scene within just two or three years—truly a '' (sister) who made a name for herself. His photographs have been shared among a limited audience, published in newspapers, and included in the book The Real Lives of Urban Marginalized People. Last year, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published A Photographer's Glimpse of the Real World. This book not only features a large number of photographs but also includes 150,000 words of documentary text written by Zhao Tielin.