an opening

an opening, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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covered alley (nong tang) - central Shangqiu, Shangqiu, Henan, China

apologies to all my flickr friends etc - Flickr is once again blocked here in Shangqiu, Henan, China

relic - nong tang # 71

relic - nong tang # 71, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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garbage - "nong tang" (alley) - central Shangqiu - mid afternoon - Shangqiu, Henan, China

long johns

long johns, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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long johns hang - small store - central Shangqiu - Shangqiu, Henan, China

flickr is still blocked in China - Any help much appreciated - I can of course upload to flickr but cannot see my images or my contacts shots

garlic paper

garlic paper, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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small restaurant - west of the city - Shangqiu, Hen, China

building one

building one, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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second floor - Shangqiu Normal University - Shangqiu, Henan, China

desk guard

desk guard, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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late afternoon "Shangqiu Normal University", a student waits - Shangqiu, Henan, China

boy who waits

boy who waits, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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waiting outside a small supermarket, west of the city - Shangqiu, Henan, China

when he has a bag

when he has a bag, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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alley (nong tang), west of the city - Shangqiu, Henan, China

hidden flag

hidden flag, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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alley (nong tang) central Shangqiu, Henan, China

9 10 12

9 10 12, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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alley (nong tang) west of the city - Shangqiu, Henan, China

tower

tower, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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highrise apartment building - west of the city - Shangqiu, Henan, China

stop - LIGHT

stop - LIGHT, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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three women wait for the light to change at the gate of Shangqiu Normal University - evening - Shangqiu, Henan, China

stop - LIGHT

stop - LIGHT, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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three women wait for the light to change at the gate of Shangqiu Normal University - evening - Shangqiu, Henan, China

solar

solar, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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roof top solar panels - Shangqiu Normal University - Shangqiu, Henan, China

food factory

food factory, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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restaurant central Shangqiu - evening - Shangqiu, Henan, China

arch

arch, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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nong tang (alley) west of the city - late afternoon - Shangqiu, Henan, China

another view

another view, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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from the forth floor - apartment building two "Shangqiu Normal University". Shangqiu, Henan, China - early morning

departure

departure, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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Shangqiu south railway station - near the center of the city - Shangqiu, Henan, China

explosive

explosive, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

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mid morning somewhere between Zhuzhou and Shangqiu, Henan, China

history

history, originally uploaded by china.sixty4.

Via Flickr:
his story is like many Chinese of his generation, after leaving his family farm, he moved to the city, worked for several years in a clothing factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong. His girlfriend (later his wife) stayed at home, whilst he sent "money home", he visited his family when he could afford it, usually once a year during "Chinese New Year",. Later he moved back to his village to take care of his aging mother (or father) family, then after a year or two, not being satisfied with living in a suffocating village moved to another city with his family (wife and son) opened a small store in a backstreet. This is a story repeated all over China for the last 25 to 30 years. - mid afternoon central Zhuzhou, Hunan, China

This guy was more than happy to tell me his story - his shared his life in a 'matter of fact' way that frankly is both inspirational and a little frightening, he seems happy (of course) but it is always very difficult to tell with Chinese men, laughing and chatting at 'every turn' but under that jovial facade lies a sadness that has grown from years of hardship, loneliness and repression

photo: mark hobbs