Through a M6 viewfinder: Shunchang, a small town in southeastern China

[fish1991222]

Hey guys, last December I took my holiday and went back to China. My girlfriend's hometown, Shunchang County, is located in the northern Fujian Province. It's a small town surrounded by mountains with two streams running through it. It has a population of 200,000 and people there are hospitable.
I brought only one camera (my Leica M6 with a CV 35/2.5 LTM version lens) and several rolls of Kodak Tmax 100 with me. But I can say that's the most enjoyable shooting experience I've ever had.
If I may I would like to share some photos here:

1. The town is hold by two rivers running through it.
Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

2. Many of the young generation move to the big cities rather than stay in the town. Therefore normally children and elderly form the majority of the streets.
Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

3. Although the town is quite modernized, there are still many farmers working at some corners of the civilization.
Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

4. Many decades ago railways made the town once a keypoint in Southeast China, but of course the glories have been long gone.
Railway across the town by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

5. Even though the town is now just a ordinary small town rest in a place that no body knows, I would say in the morning market, even in the cold winter you can still feel the passions of these people who still live here.
Untitled by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Morning in the rural town by FISHER YU, on Flickr

Market in Shunchang County by FISHER YU, on Flickr

The end.

If you guys found this interesting, I can share more shots during my last holiday back in China. Since I've been aboard, I realized the China reported by the media seems to be very different from where I lived for my last 24 years. I hope through my photos I can reveal what China looks like as per my own personal feeling.

Cheers

Fisher

 

[pyeh]

Fisher, I think these are wonderful quiet photos. They show an aspect of China that you almost never see - small provincial city, ordinary lives, unspectacular scenes. It makes a change from the focus on China's rapacious megalopolises, or temples and gardens. Please continue posting.
By the way, I missed you at the camera market two Sundays ago. I wore a badge saying "RFF".

 

[fish1991222]

Hi Peter, you are absolutely correct. Mega cities like Beijing, Shanghai are just one side of China. An equivalent, if not more important part of the story is even more people still live their lives in these small but vibrant towns and cities. They might not be international or modern enough, for example in Shunchang there is not one single foreigner, yet I kind of like this purely Chinese and traditional way of life.
Speaking of the camera market, I didn't stay for long as something came up and I had to leave earlier. I might missed you guys out there. Anyway, I think we should definitely find some weekends hanging out to go for a camera walk. I think nowadays my girlfriend has been tired out being asked to go out taking photo with me together. LOL...

Fisher, I think these are wonderful quiet photos. They show an aspect of China that you almost never see - small provincial city, ordinary lives, unspectacular scenes. It makes a change from the focus on China's rapacious megalopolises, or temples and gardens. Please continue posting.
By the way, I missed you at the camera market two Sundays ago. I wore a badge saying "RFF".

 

[pyeh]

Fisher, you're on for a photowalk. We must organize one, but not until mid-
April if you don't mind. I'm going on a trip soon.
Please keep posting China photos. There's a famous thread from a few years' back in the Electro 35 section I think, and there's the great Hanoi thread too, so lots of precedents.

 

[fish1991222]

Certainly, when you have time let's do it!
Cheers

Fisher

Fisher, you're on for a photowalk. We must organize one, but not until mid-
April if you don't mind. I'm going on a trip soon.
Please keep posting China photos. There's a famous thread from a few years' back in the Electro 35 section I think, and there's the great Hanoi thread too, so lots of precedents.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,


Thanks for showing us; I feel I've been there and know the town.


Regards, David

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Thanks for showing us; I feel I've been there and know the town.

Regards, David


PS This is duplicated because I edited out the double LFCR's and found it posted again after the original...

 

[fish1991222]

Hi David, that's fine.
I believe you would love this town and its brilliant breakfast! Noodles, my favourite!

Hi,

Thanks for showing us; I feel I've been there and know the town.

Regards, David

PS This is duplicated because I edited out the double LFCR's and found it posted again after the original...

 

[robert blu]

As European I find your photos very interesting, as already said a different view than the one we (I) are used to see.
As photographer I find #3,6, 10 and 12 very strong. Good work with your M6, thanks for posting!
robert

 

[Paulbe]

Fisher--absolutely excellent! Please post more!
Thank you!
Paul

 

[helen.HH]

Wonderful series of Photos... !
Great combo Miss M6 & 35 skopar

 

[fish1991222]

Thanks Robert. Currently China is facing the problem of uneven development between the most developed part (I can say in this part people live in a modern and developed China) and the rural area (especially in the western China).
Actually Shunchang County is not poor, I could see many Mercedez, BMW and other luxury cars on the road. Yet interesting is the traditional way people there still living their lives reminded me of the two faces of China.
Sadly I only stayed for less than three weeks back in there, but I will try to organize more topics from those 10 rolls of pics I took.

Cheers
Fisher

As European I find your photos very interesting, as already said a different view than the one we (I) are used to see.
As photographer I find #3,6, 10 and 12 very strong. Good work with your M6, thanks for posting!
robert

 

[fish1991222]

Thanks Paul, I will organize maybe two more topics about it.

Fisher--absolutely excellent! Please post more!
Thank you!
Paul

 

[fish1991222]

Thanks Hellen, 35 skopar, especially the ltm version is built with great quality in my mind. Great small lens!

Wonderful series of Photos... !
Great combo Miss M6 & 35 skopar

 

[Colin Corneau]

I loved seeing these pictures. For my eye, the most lovely shot was the silhouettes inside a room, with steam rising from the cooking pots.
Some of my favourite memories are of walking in China with my film cameras, photographing life. I envy you seeing a small city like this with such freedom and carefree feelings. Hopefully you can share more pictures.

 

[fish1991222]

HAHA Colin you got the taste! For me I love that photo too. It's a very small but ugly delicious breakfast place, serving Chinese soy sauce noodles. Next time when you walk around the cities in China, get into small alleys and there will always be some small restaurants like this waiting for you.

I loved seeing these pictures. For my eye, the most lovely shot was the silhouettes inside a room, with steam rising from the cooking pots.
Some of my favourite memories are of walking in China with my film cameras, photographing life. I envy you seeing a small city like this with such freedom and carefree feelings. Hopefully you can share more pictures.

 

[David Hughes]

HAHA Colin you got the taste! For me I love that photo too. It's a very small but ugly delicious breakfast place, serving Chinese soy sauce noodles. Next time when you walk around the cities in China, get into small alleys and there will always be some small restaurants like this waiting for you.

Hi,

That's very true about every city and town in the world. I've always worked in The City (of London) and I felt sorry for the tourists wasting their money and never thinking to look down the side streets and wonder why there was a queue of people stretching out from a very small shop...

Regards, David