Looking through some older images taken in Guilin, Guangxi Province- I discovered - some unpublished work - A paper collector sits on his "biketruck", at the entrance to "Guilin University of Electronic Technology" (from 2006)
photo:mhobbs
Friday, August 24, 2007
man looking ahead whilst thinking of the present
triangle - square # 123
Looking through some older images taken in Guilin - I discovered - some unpublished work - A group of men at the entrance to a narrow "nong tang" (alley) prepare the land for the construction of a brick dwelling. (from 2006)
photo:mhobbs
six
Looking through some older images taken in Huaihua - Hunan Province (see this link for more info) - I discovered - some unpublished work - White cotton pants (underwear) hanging on a makeshift clothes line at Huaihua College
photo:mhobbs
24hr service - almost
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - Two woman stand at the counter of an almost "24 hour convenience store"
Although North America and most western countries experience both the convenience and disadvantages of 24 hour trading - In China it is still rare - I was lucky this store was very close to my apartment near the center of Hangzhou when I lived in the city during the first 9 months of 2004 - Although it stated in bright neon that it was open 24 hours a day it rarely was open past 11pm on any night.
photo:mhobbs
baby - square # 122
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A man sits reading a newspaper in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) at the Hangzhou Silk Market" in the center of the city. The bicycle has a small basket on the rear this is used to carry either a very small child or baby. (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs
red power
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - Signs on a wall in a small "backstreet" near the center of the city, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs
slurp
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A Policeman having a midnight snack (read 1:14 am) "slurping down" the last of his noodles in a small restaurant on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs
three - square # 121
Three men sit on the curb of a small "backstreet" in the Zhifu district, with signs 'advertising' that they are looking for work. This street is often crowded with men waiting for "employers" seeking workers.
photo:mhobbs
character assassination - "da" - big
Sign on the outside wall of a large department store in the "Kai Fa Qu" district, in the north of the city. This character represents the sound for "da" (meaning big or large)
photo:mhobbs
hats on
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - Sign on the wall of a "construction site" in central Hangzhou, indicating that the "workers" must wear protective hats (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs
single
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A sea of lily pads on the "West Lake" in central Hangzhou (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs
pass - under
Looking through some older images taken in Hangzhou - I discovered - some unpublished work - A man rides his bicycle under an "overpass" in the center of Hangzhou, in a rare moment of their being no other traffic - (from 2004)
photo:mhobbs
two - square # 120
Two women stand on the corner of a "small backstreet" in the Laishan district, with a basket of fresh cherries
photo:mhobbs
impression
A night "impression" of the moat and one of the towers of the "Summer Palace" in central Beijing
photo:mhobbs
the tragedy of the built environment - square # 119
A man stands outside an group of apartment buildings (one of hundreds of identical buildings) in a small backstreet in the "Laishan" district on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs
Monday, August 20, 2007
in step - polaroid # 2
Solders of the "People Liberation Army" march toward Tiananmen in central Beijing -
"Beijing" has long excluded whole categories of spending from its defense budget, leading to the rather lame excuse from Gen. Cao Gangchuan, (defense secretary) that China does exclude—ahem—"some funding for the development of equipment" from its official defense budget. Its 2007 budget rose by a massive 14.9 % (the actual figure is unknown - 'of course' ) but it has been estimated to be 350.92 billion yuan, or roughly US.$44.94 billion in 2007 — an increase of $6.84 billion over last year, though experts believe the true figure of China's military spending could be several times the amount that it reports.
In a country that close to three quarters of its people/population still live in abject poverty and isolation from the center of power and with "no voice" within its political system, the question remains "why?"...
photo:mhobbs
portrait # 11 - roasted - square # 118
A roast 'sweet potato' vendor stands beside his "roaster" outside a large department store in the Zhifu district in the center of the city
photo:mhobbs
alone
A man stands beside his "biketruck" selling fruit, at the entrance to a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the Laishan district in the east of the city
yellow
A young man sits on the tray of his "motorbiketruck", with a load of Banana's, at the intersection of two "nong tangs" in the Laishan district on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs
camera obscura - square # 117
A womam carrying her small child walks by a hairdresser in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the Laishan district on the eastern edge of the city
/|\ pipes
Three pipes containing sewage, leading into the ocean on an otherwise near pristine beach in the "Kai Fa Qu" district, in the far north west of the city
strawberries
A woman sits on the side of the road in the "Laishan" district on the eastern edge of the city, selling fresh strawberries. I love the detail in the image, the red scarf, red shoes, red sweater and the discarded strawberries in the background near the wall.
square # 116 - homeless in Beijing # 1
A 'homeless man' sleeps on the sidewalk under a freeway overpass in the center of Beijing.
Homelessness in Beijing, like in any developed city is a major problem. This has recently become more of a concern to "Human Rights" groups across the world because of the Central Governments policy of clearing and demolishing houses (many of which are 100's of years old) to make way for development for the 2008 Olympics. Leaving hundreds of thousands of Chinese people homeless and frequently without sufficient compensation. It is estimated that the games will cost China $20bn, making it the most expensive Olympics ever, The Olympics in Beijing is going to be one of the biggest examples of a totalitarian regime taking away people’s possessions in the name of self-glorification. Remarkably, for a country with little free speech, the protests are getting louder. Evicted people have been lighting themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square, and petitions and anonymous internet protests have been multiplying. Despite the imprisonment of Ye Guozhu – a housing rights activist who was imprisoned after applying for permission to hold a mass protest against the forced evictions – there are some flickers of progress. The government has issued a series of promises and reforms. Only time will tell if these reforms materialize or are just empty promises to satisfy the ever growing numbers of angry voices.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
x
rust on the side panel of a truck, parked in a small backstreet in the Laishan district
photo:mhobbs
loading...
In the early morning as I exit the station, two men load parcels bound for Beijing onto a train at Yantai Central Railway Station, in the Zhifu district
photo:mhobbs
mao & friends # 1
Crowds gather to look in awe at the "great dictator" - Looking down at the passing 'masses' the iconic portrait of Mao above the entrance to the summer palace in central Beijing
photo:mhobbs
mao & friends # 2
Looking down at the passing 'masses' the iconic portrait of Mao above the entrance to the summer palace in central Beijing
photo:mhobbs
seven - wide # 9
Seven men lifting steel pipe from a cart in a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the center of Beijing
photo:mhobbs
watchers
Sitting inside the "hard seat" section of the Shandong bound train, two men watch as 'my train' departs, heading to Beijing
photo:mhobbs
almost through
Eating at a small restaurant at the intersection of two "nong tang's" (alley's) in the Laishan district on the eastern edge of the city
photo:mhobbs
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