Having returned from 4 weeks backpacking China with a thousand photographs, a large Moleskine filled with a multitude of entries and anecdotes, the story of it all is only now being synthesized by my brain. I’ve attempted to put the pieces together before, but could never quite get my arms around them. No amount of effort could pull them together into something cohesive. Upon my return I swore I felt nothing. Exhaustion, jet lag, the weariness of the wear and tear of hard travel in a hard land, combined to send a perfectly targeted trajectory of flack to my brain, effectively deflecting the depth of impact upon my spirit this journey had made.
In truth I felt so much, so strongly, I was paralyzed by it. Until now. Until friends and family started asking me if I was going to ever share my experience. Yes, is the answer. Beginning with this post, I’ll be continuously documenting the trip until I’ve got it all out.
I’ll start by sharing mostly photographs, easing into more of what I’ve written as we go along.
Doug Henderson, a renowned commercial photographer/graphic designer, instructed my first Photoshop course. His photography wrings emotion from my soul and we happen to share a similar view of photographing people. His perspective is eloquent, so I lifted it — hope he doesn’t mind. “I think the average person is beautiful. I don’t see any reason to comb a little kids hair or tell them to smile. I see no reason to try to make an old person look young again, or to make a working man look like an executive.” If I ever decide to be photographed, he’ll be the person I ask.
In my own words, I find faces moving.
In a village called Huangluo, (not far from Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), for those of the Yao Nationality, long hair is a local tradition. All the Hongyao women can only cut their hair at 16 years old, symbolizing the fact she is an adult who can look for a lover. The hair cut off should not be thrown away, but is rather kept by the grandmother.
When the woman marries, the hair is made into an ornamental headdress and brought to the husband’s home as a souvenir.
Tammie, I can only imagine how that little boy would feel if you could have brought him home.
Comment by Phyllis — March 24, 2009 @ 11:20 am
Pl explain if the lady with 10 ft hairs has natural hairs?
Comment by canonbee3u — March 20, 2009 @ 10:50 am
Tammie! These are really stunning. You’ve got a talent, for sure.
I’ve stumbled this post for you, by the way š
And, yes, MORE!
Comment by Beth Whitman — February 23, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
T,
Shame on me. My ancestry is Chinese, but I haven’t been to China (except HK, but in my head, that’s not really China).
Jen Laceda
Comment by jen laceda — February 23, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
A long hard trip to China is a difficult thing to bottle. I think you’ve chosen wisely in using faces as a medium. I was in China long enough to become accustomed/hardened/slightly blind to my surroundings. Things that struck me initially became part of my daily routine. This isn’t necessarily all bad but it does impeed my ability to relate to those who’ve not shared in my experiences. Your relative freshness takes me back. keep it coming.
Comment by JJ — February 23, 2009 @ 10:57 am
Powerful stuff, Tammie! I’m excited to find your site, and look forward to seeing more of your work. Thanks for your transparency and insightful comments.
Comment by Gina — February 21, 2009 @ 9:46 pm
The faces are so moving, haunting in a way that makes you want to reach out and touch them to make them more real or less perhaps…not sure which, but the pictures stay with the viewer and makes one want to see more.
Comment by Clay Mama — February 21, 2009 @ 9:29 am
Wow!!!! I can’t imagine everything your eyes took in. Thanks for sharing a peek. More please……
Comment by Pops — February 20, 2009 @ 11:15 pm