Author: Zhao Tielin (Photography and Writing)
Publisher:
Publish Date: June 1, 2006
Features: They are the marginalized groups in society. They engage in an ancient yet always taboo profession—prostitution. The world they inhabit remains unknown to the public, and their life stories, ups and downs, have rarely been truly cared about or pursued by anyone. After enduring hardships in his own life, the author self-exiled himself to the lowest rungs of society and encountered this group of struggling women, sharing the same marginalized identity and perspective as them. Over a decade of cohabitation, he observed them closely from a close distance, faithfully documenting their self-taught growth and the origins and developments of their lives. A complete record of 130,000 words and 460 documentary photographs forms the life stories of 10 women, painting a grayscale tapestry of social realities. They are presented 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 laborer 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 Computer Technology at the Beijing Academy of Sciences. In 1989, he "went private" and became the manager of the Daxiang Technology Development Department. In 1990, he established two companies in Zhengzhou and Haikou. In May 1994, both companies went bankrupt. In 1994, he became a freelance photographer. In 1996, he pursued photography and literary studies. To date, he has published dozens of photo reports on social issues, gaining widespread attention and recognition from peers. He began publishing multiple thematic reports in publications such as (Mass Photography), (China Youth News), (New Weekly), (Light and Shadow), (Southern Weekly), and (People's Photography).
In April 1999, he published ： (Focusing on Survival: Girls Wandering on the Urban Fringe), with a preface by the renowned sociologist Pan Suiming. In September 2000, he published ： (Alternative Life: A Photographer's View of the Real World), with a preface by the renowned sociologist Shan Guangding. This year, he plans to publish his third book: (Bonfires on the Wei River). Zhao Tielin was named one of the "30 Most Important Photographers in China in 2000" by (Photography Friend). The organizers of the event, Naisong and Dou Haijun, remarked that the sensitive and difficult-to-capture subject of "prostitutes" propelled Zhao Tielin to become a well-known figure in Chinese photography within just two or three years, achieving fame overnight. His photographs underwent a process of limited circulation, publication in newspapers, and the publication of the book The Real Life of Urban Marginalized People. Last year, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published The Real World Through the Eyes of a Photographer. This book includes a large number of photographs and is accompanied by 150,000 words of documentary writing by Zhao Tielin.