triptych #1 - row

Yantai - East - A row of small businesses in a narrow backstreet in the east of the city - late afternoon
photo: mhobbs

sultan - square # 33

Yantai - Central - A Muslum sultana vendor, shows off his wares on a busy street in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

blur frame "rush"

Yantai - East - Students from "Shandong Institute of Business and Technology" rush to a market in the failing light of late afternoon -
photo/manipulation: mhobbs

soho - square # 32

Yantai - Central - A woman stands by her 'cart' in a small market street in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

coal stack # 2

Yantai - East - A mound of coal at "Shandong Institute of Business and Technology" - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

red frame

Yantai - Central - Old signage on a wall in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo/manipulation: mhobbs

washing day

Yantai - East - Quilts and sheets hung out to 'air' in the cold morning, on the 'balconies' of one of the student dormitaries at "Shandong Institute of Business and Technology" - morning
photo: mhobbs

covered

Yantai - Central - A migrant vendor covers her face, as she sits outside FFC in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

sitting on the porch #2

Yantai - North - Two women sit on the steps of a small restaurant in the north of the city, peeling vegetables - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

night store

Yantai - East - A man enters a small "nong tang" (alley) store, late at night, car headlights reflect off the boxes stacked on the outside of the shop - night
photo: mhobbs

fireworks

Yantai - North - A wrapper for a tradition Chinese "firecracker", lays amongst the red remains of the exploded crackers, on a narrow "nong tang" (alley) in the north of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

sisters fruit and vegetables - square # 31

Yantai - East - A woman stands behind the counter of her small 'shop', in a narrow 'nong tang' (alley) , the sign reads "sisters fruit and vegetables" - night photo: mhobbs

classic chinese pose # 1

Yantai - North - A man dressed in a "classic" Chinese coat, pushes his "biketruck" along a narrow "nong tang" in the north of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

classic chinese pose # 2

Yantai - North - A woman pushes her bicycle along a narrow 'nong tang' (alley) on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

couple - square #30

Yantai - A couple stand by their "biketruck" stall in a small 'market' street on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

lunch #1

Yantai - A man has lunch on the corner of a small backstreet, on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

lunch #2 square #29

Yantai - A man has lunch on the corner of a small backstreet, on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

corner

Yantai - North - An old biketruck 'parked'outside a "Hutong" (Traditional Chinese alley dwelling) in a "nong tang" (alley) on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
(Nb: If you are interested in viewing some of my other images please go to: http://middlekingdom.xmgfree.com/
photo: mhobbs

yellow frame

Yantai - North - High above a "gated" - dead-end "nong tang" (alley) with an 'overhang' of brightly painted yellow framed windows at the far end, in the northern section of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

close to the wall

Yantai - North - A biketruck" guy on the northern edge of the city in a "nong tang" (alley) beside an ancient wall - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

corner store

Yantai - North - A corner store in a small backstreet in the north of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

night wire

Yantai - Barbed wire tangled around an electrical pole in a "nong tang" (alley) on the northern edge of the city - late afternoon
photo: mhobbs

close to the wall #2

Yantai - North - In a warehouse district on the northern edge of the city a "biketruck" guy rides his bike along a narrow "nong tang" (alley) - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

rusting

Yantai - North - An old biketruck in a stands outside a "Hutong" (Traditional Chinese alley dwelling) in a sunny "nong tang" (alley) on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

red star

Yantai - North - The "red star" of the Chinese Navy on a large gate in the northern section of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

looking out to sea - square # 28

Yantai - North - An old man wearing a cap looks out to sea (Bohai) standing on a 'boardwalk' on the northern edge of the city, by the bay - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

walking

Yantai - North - An old man wearing a "people's jacket and cap" stolls along the boardwalk on the northern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

red shutters

Yantai - North - On the northern edge of the city an old "European" building circa 1910, with red shutters - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

to the right

Yantai - North - On the northern edge of the city a man walks by an old soon to be demolished "European" building, circa 1900 - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

man in brown suit

Yantai - North - In a small street on the northern edge of the city a man wearing a dark brown suit walks to meet friends - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

hutong man

Yantai - East - An old man stands outside his Hutong (Traditional Chinese alley dwelling) in a "nong tang" (alley) on the eastern edge of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

digging the trenches

Yantai - East - These men, working at "Shandong Institute of Business and Technology" outside the apartment building specifically for the foriegn teachers at the college, are all from Hebei provience, one of the less developed and poorest in China, many immigrant workers come to Shandong to find employment - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

grey wall

Yantai - North - Two bicycles leaning against a stark concrete wall in a small backstreet on the northern edge of the city - morning
photo: mhobbs

red door

Yantai - North - In a small backstreet on the northern edge of the city in a desolate courtyard a red door is the only reminder that the building was once an important government office. If you look closely you'll notice that the door is not only locked ut "bricked-up" on the inside - morning
photo: mhobbs

through a window

Yantai - North - Looking through a clouded window window of an old and abandoned building on the northern edge of the city - Morning
photo: mhobbs

sealed door

Yantai - North - On the northern edge of the city, in a concealed courtyard an old building's door is sealed, this is common in China. The owners of the building may be the government or the building may have been confiscated for various reasons by the government. This building is now deserted and empty. - morning
photo: mhobbs

14

Yantai - East - A pale blue/grey door at Shandong Institute of Business & Technology, with the number 14 painted on it for no apparent reason (14 being a 'cardinal number 1 more than 13 or 10 plus 4) - morning
photo: mhobbs

china lace

Yantai - North - In a "nong tang" (alley) on the northern edge of the city lace curtains with a typical Chinese scene of a pagoda and sea shore (as seen in Yantai) in the window of an old residential dwelling - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

arch and entrance

Yantai - Central - On the northern edge of the city in a small backstreet a norrow lane leads to a concealed courtyard of a traditional style home - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

red coat # 2

Yantai - Centre - A woman on her bicycle with large "spring onions" strapped to the back of her bike, travels along a "nong tang" (alley) on the northern edge of the city - late afternoon
photo: mhobbs

grapes - square # 27

Yantai - Centre - In a small backstreet in the centre of the city near the "docks" a young woman sorts grapes infront of her store
photo: mhobbs

meat on sticks - square # 26

Yantai - Central - Three Muslim men at their small stall/restaurant that specializes in 'meat on sticks' roasted over coals, near the entrance to a large supermarket in the centre of the city - late afternoon
photo: mhobbs

migrant

Yantai - Central - Sitting outside a fast food restaurant in the centre of the city, a Muslim migrant worker selling fruit from baskets, covers her face with her hands - afraid that I (the photographer) will discover that she is not registered as a legal citizen of Shandong province. (This I assume is from habit)

In China all people (Men, women and children over thirteen) must carry "id"; cards, these are used to identify your residential status, your ethnic origins as well as which "work-unit", you belong. A work unit is for example - if you work for a factory you belong to that factories work-unit.

China currently is experiencing the largest movement (migration) of people the world has ever witnessed, this is causing great dissorder in many of the eastern (more developed) cities, due to the poor conditions and the lack of employement opportunities for "unskilled" labor.

Yet many from China's north and west continue to migrate south and east in search of a better life for themselves and their children, some legally but most illegally.

photo: mhobbs

painters

Yantai - Central - In the centre of the city, three "painters" sit at the side of the road waiting for work - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

waiting - with sign

Yantai - Central - In a side street in the centre of the city a lone 'worker' sits by the side of the road, waiting for 'work' - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

brown suit #1

Yantai - Central - In a small couryard in the centre of the city a man dressed in a 'modern' Chinese style suit checks his washing - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

brown suit #2

Yantai - In a small couryard in the centre of the city a man dressed in a 'modern' Chinese style suit walks by - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

unloading - square # 25

Yantai - Central - A man unloads a 'biketruck' of waste paper, soon to be recycled, whilst another notes the 'load' in a small backstreet in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

bike repair #1

Yantai - Central - Two men repair a bicycle at a bike repair 'shop' in a small sidestreet, in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs

bicycle repair #2

Yantai - Central - Two men discuss a bicycles repair at a bike repair 'shop' in a small sidestreet, in the centre of the city - afternoon
photo: mhobbs