National day, a photo from Guangxi, South

Photographer's Note

"Look, there's one that almost didn't explode!"
Children rush to look for unexploded crackers during celebrations of Chinese National day, October 1, 1986. This is in the touristic town of Yangshuo in Guangxi province.
In the workshop you can see what it looked like a few moments earlier.
Scanned from Kodachrome slides.

saxo042 heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

aadilj (18102) 2008-05-31 1:02

Your documentaries into the lives of people are so remarkable b their simplicity and by the way you capture these moments which we all live without even noticing. You have a way with these ordinary moments surely

saxo042 (38078) 2008-05-31 4:58

Hej Gert,
A fine scan with good colours and a well observed composition with the two diagonals on the ground and the vertical line in the middle. Interesting WS as well!
Hälsningar
Gunnar
PS "I guess the picture is slightly overexposed"?

skippy007 (12510) 2008-06-01 19:53

Hello Gert, Another old one & a good one worth looking at. It is like looking at your old photo album a pleasant experience. Good colour & detail in this busy scene, love the children looking for fire crackers I remember doing exactly the same thing, Your WS version is also very good & interesting.
Thank you
Regards
Santo

mafegan (8626) 2009-11-22 3:47

Hi Gert
Another good documentary type photo. The before and after photos do tell a fine story. Plenty of action and as usual a clear scan. Tfs, Marlene

abmdsudi (95869) 2013-08-17 23:56

Hi Gert
Day of celebration and...... the big bang. This shot is just about to imagine i was back in the 50s and 60s when watching Chinese New Year celebration and the fearsome dancing lion and ear-shattering massive firecrackers to mark the beginning of the new year. It's a great traditional event I can recall vividly in my Anson Road neighbourhood then and I used to search for the unexploded crackers as shown!!!

But fire cracking in Singapore was eventually banned since the 70s due safety hazard. i remember a Chinese village in Bukit Ho Swee was totally burned down to ashes and became headline news then. Your additional picture shows exactly the scene then, they use to hang not one but many strips high up to 8 floors high and believe me the crackers were chaotic crescendo! but loads of fun! This captured the carnival atmosphere superbly, a real sense of celebration and lots to look at and its a great grouping and interesting stuff in there. But I also pitty the poor people who had to clear up the mess there after, its was a mammoth task i remember then. You have recorded it well Gert giving us all a good insight as to what goes on to good effect.
Very nostalgic shot :)
My congrats.
Best regards

serp2000 (47063) 2014-01-14 10:52

Hi, Gert,
Your old photo reminds me my fresh memories from Sri Lanka. Once our car was been in the crossfire on the streets of Negombo. Two groups of the shooters had so amazing New Year gunplay with the petards. But the narrow street creates very effective sound reflection... I don't forget that moment.
I see the seldom white man with camera did not raise some interest for the Chinese people. Although as you said this country had the first contacts with the foreigner tourist in 1986. It looks some strange for me.
Have a good night!
Serghei

jmdias (116441) 2020-04-01 9:24

gert

a curious explosion. looks like fireworks but I have no idea what they are hunting..a curious moment in the history, the clothes aren't like those ones of Mao times, but we can see the poverty touch of their western clothes, a moment of transition.
this remind me the moment of transition in portugal, at 1980, no more a poor dictatorship, free but poor yet and nor rich as they would be in 1990's.
the little boy with a formal suit is funny. nice details.

take care

jorge

Silvio1953 (222889) 2021-04-28 22:09

Ciao Gert, lovely composition with a lot of people in an interesting scene, splendid light, fine details, excellent clarity and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pajaran (117033) 2022-06-30 4:46

Pozdrav.

Interesantan pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Lepa scena sa decom, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad sa fotografijom u radionici.
Lepo obelezen dan slavlja.
Lepo secanje.

Zelim vam lepo popodne, sve najbolje.
Paja