| Li Lang | ||
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UNCA -
Oct. 30- |
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Yi People in Liangshan
China - 1999 Award Winner The Yi community is one of 55 national minorities in China who inhabit a remote, mountainous area of Sichuan province. Living in a region marked by inhospitable terrain and harsh climate, the Yi remained isolated from modernizing influences until 1949. Their semi-feudal society is, however, being slowly assimilated into mainstream China through various government initiatives. Technology and communication are slowly eroding Yi values and traditions. In these photographs, I have tried to document their unique culture and customs before they fade away. Since 1994, I have lived with the Yi, tracing their daily lives. Over the years, I have developed a deep connection with these vital and brave people, who have preserved their indomitable spirit in the face of adversity and change. I hope these photographs will reveal more than Yi customs and the picturesque scenery of Liangshan, but also the people's will to live and their profound attachment to the land. The Yi culture is one of the oldest in Daliangshan Mountain, with a history of more than 2000 years. Their religion is based on ancestor worship, as they pray to departed spirits for safety and happiness. Bimo, the Yi clergy, conduct religious rites bridging the spiritual and mortal worlds, and deal with all religious issues. They enjoy a privileged position in Yi society. The number of Bimos as well as Bimo believers are dwindling as Yi culture modernizes. Many traditional ceremonies, such as the birth and coming-of-age ceremonies, have almost been lost. I plan to go into more remote villages to photograph these rapidly vanishing traditions. I also hope to record similarities and differences between Yi communities living in different regions of China. I hope to capture their rich inner world in my photographs. Biographical Information: Li Lang, male, born in May 1969 in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province in southwest China, is currently chief photojournalist of EAGLE magazine. I graduated from the Economy Department of Shanxi Financial & Economic College with excellent scores in July 1990. Since my college life, I have constantly immerged myself in the photos of W. Eugene Smith, Josef Koudelka, Sebastiao Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark, and other famous photographers. The spirit of humanism reflected from their works engraved a deep impression on my mind and triggered my inclination to record the world around by my own photos. Since then, I started my photo projects. In 1994, I fulfilled "village Insane Asylums" after nearly one-year investigation, and had it joined the No. 38 World Press Photo. In 1995, I was hired as the photojournalist of EAGLE, the most excellent one in southwest China, because my photos "Chengdu in My Eyes" deeply touched the chief editor of this magazine for my individuality. In the last three years, I have many times been to Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, the roof of the world, to carry out my projects and have accumulated rich experiences in field photographing. In 1997, my project on Children was, for the first time, published in Photographer, Vol. 32, sponsored by Mr. Juan I-Jong, a famous photographer of Taiwan. However, I can not completely schedule my projects for the limitations of my current working conditions. Now I have to make full use of all my vocations and spare time to further my two projects, "A Decade of Chengdu, 1990---2000" and "Yi People in Liangshan". Through years tempering, especially accumulating experiences from my present work and learning essences from domestic and overseas elite photographers, I have enriched my techniques of expression and improved my ability to manipulate the projects. I am sure that I can well fulfill all my projects. Captions:
11. Tuojue, 1995 12. Yimou, 1995 14. Qiluogou, 1998 15. Riyue, 1995 |