London, England-based Photographer Simon Urwin was preparing for a big 3-week shoot in Tibet when he heard of a small town in China called Pengzhen, where life has barely changed in the past several decades. Simon decided he had to document this living example of old China, so he sent an interpreter to scout and get permission to shoot. Once Simon arrived, he and the interpreter spent a couple of days immersed in the community, gaining residents’ trust so he could take photographs and hear their stories. Lonely Planet Traveller Magazine published Simon’s authentic photographs in their October 2018 issue.
Very few residents had seen xa Westerner before, so there were a lot of double takes, but also lots of friendly welcomes from people who were really curious as to why a foreigner was so interested in their town.
As China develops and modernises at a frenetic pace, this project was a way of capturing a fast-disappearing way of life in a neighbourhood which had barely changed since the 1950s.
See more of Simon’s work on his website.
Credits:
Art Director: Hayley Ward
Retoucher: Sinisa Savic
Further Reading:
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