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China: The Roads Less Traveled
Documentary photography on Zigen's projects in rural China
Solo Exhibition
Feb 13 (Saturday) - Feb 21 (Sunday) 2010
10 am - 9:30 pm (Mon-Sat) 11-6 (Sun)
Beijing, China
China Agricultural University/Migrant Worker Center
July 11 (Sat) - 18 (Sat), 2009
Washington DC Area
Feb 4 (Monday) - Feb 17 (Sunday) 2008
10 am - 9:30 pm (Mon-Sat) 11-6 (Sun)
Artist's Reception with Refreshment
Feb 9 (Saturday) 2-4 pm
Discover exquisite, sometimes haunting, images of people and landscape in China's
rural heartland, captured by photographer P H Yang in October 2007, during an emotional
and thought-provoking trip to document projects of The Zigen Fund with 20 years of
hands-on experience on grassroots development in China.
Abject poverty, discrimination, social exclusion, digital divide...
Welcome to the world of migrant workers, who come from the rural heart of China - the
poorest provinces that are left behind by China's economic miracle - who end up doing
the most "dirty, heavy, hard and exhausting" jobs in the cities.*
Meet 14 year-old Liang Yang from Sichuan, who has lived for 3 years in a tiny spartan
room in a shanty town for migrant workers in Shahe, an hour but a world away from
booming Beijing. She yearn to visit the Forbidden City, the landmark of the capital.
Empathize with 14 year-old Lei Lianhua who had to sleep on the floor for 4 months before
the Zigen-donated bunk beds arrived at the Fanpai School dormitory in Taijiang, Guizhou.
Be inspired by 15 year-old Bai Liting and her classmate who still beam after walking for
over 3 hours to school across the arid and dusty hills of Shanxi.
Feast on dazzling images from remote villages in the barren Loess Plateau of Shanxi,
the poverty-stricken Miao minority habitats of Guizhou, and the often stark conditions
of ghettos for migrant workers outside Beijing.
Yang is an exhibited and published artist in Asia and North America. His work has been
exhibited in Hong Kong, at San Jose Museum of Art and juried-in by the Director of
Artist's Gallery, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Some say Yang has a knack for capturing the soul and spirit of the people, places or
moments that last a lifetime.
_____
*In 2006, China had 120 million migrant workers, about 25% of the total rural labor force.
Most are lured to cities in search of the better life that eluded them, but they are
barred from access to public schools, hospitals, nurseries and housing and have almost
no legal rights. Millions are still owed back pay.
In 2007, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told the National People’s Congress about the need
to address "the difficulties rural migrant workers in cities face", "problems of low
wages and unpaid wages" and the "Three Rural Issues" - agriculture, rural areas and peasants.
Based on reports by People's Daily, Nov 2007 and CCTV Sep 2007.
What People Say
"Like everyone else, I simply am deeply impressed by your most splendid artistic
and poetic cross-cultural imageries."
- Dr Ming Chan | Hoover Fellow | Stanford University
"A symphony of the countryside!"
- S M Tsui | Retired Journalist | Hong Kong
"Really impressed. The images are crisp with bold compositional elements and
saturated colors that jump off the page..."
- Jeffery Luhn | Professional Photographer | San Francisco Bay Area
"Your photos made me skip a heartbeat... They're gorgeous!"
- Stella Chow | Investment Banker | Hong Kong
More on What People Say
Artist's Statement