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| Lifestyle |
| Recording Time | |
| How a picture tells a thousand words | |
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 Yang's family pose for a group photo during the Spring Festival, on February 3, 1984 (COURTESY PHOTO)
When the winter sun floods his room, Yang Liheng, 89, enjoys nothing more than sitting by the window and leafing through old photo albums.
Though he suffers from memory loss, these photo albums, a mix of family photos and some of his personal work, remind him of long forgotten memories and spark a genuine sense of joy and happiness once more. For Yang, one of the long-expected activities during the Spring Festival is to take photos with family members. In the early morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year when the whole family reunites, he would ask his wife and daughter to help him dress up and wait in anticipation for the photo. The click of the camera shutter serves as a way of capturing treasured feelings and special family moments for Yang and his family. Yang was among the first generation of photographers after northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was established in 1958. He worked for the department of publicity in Guyuan and recorded many significant moments along with the development of Xihaigu. Xihaigu comprises nine impoverished counties and districts, which fall under jurisdiction of Guyuan, Zhongwei and Wuzhong cities in south Ningxia. It is a largely mountainous region, thought of as one of China's most impoverished, and designated the world's least habitable area for human beings by the United Nations in the 1970s. With his camera, Yang recorded the dramatic changes of Xihaigu over the past decades. "I had a miserable childhood but got a rare chance to be a photographer after the founding of the People's Republic of China." Yang told Beijing Review. "I want to capture, in the form of photographs, the local conditions and customs, the landscape as well as people's indomitable spirit of fighting against the tough conditions here in my hometown."  Yang's family pose for a group photo during the Spring Festival, on February 18, 1988 (COURTESY PHOTO)
After 30 years of documenting Xihaigu, the idea of taking family photos was triggered by the birth of his first grandchild. "I used to take pictures for everyone else, but seldom turned my camera at my family members," Yang said. "My grandson gave me the inspiration to record the growth and development of my own family."
"My little grandson was crying when I pressed the shutter, and you can see his tears in that photo. It's interesting and worth recording," Yang told Beijing Review. Taking family photos then became a tradition for Yang's family. Though now some of his grandchildren are working and living in other cities around China, they try their utmost to reunite with the family during the Spring Festival and prepare for the cherished moment.  Yang's family pose for a group photo during the Spring Festival, on February 16, 2018 (COURTESY PHOTO)
Serving as preservers of historical moments, family photos recorded many unforgettable memories of Yang's family. Now the camera has been handed over to Yang's son, Minwu, who follows in his father's footsteps and is a photographer for Ningxia Daily, a local newspaper. "What my father taught me was not merely how to capture wonderful moments with a camera, but how to live a positive life and get along well with the family," Yang Minwu said. He has four brothers and one sister, and many of them have become grandparents. Four generations of Yang's family live harmoniously under one roof with the hum of conversation and snatches of laughter ever present. Last year was an important year for Yang Liheng and Yang Minwu, as it marked the 60 anniversary of the establishment of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and many of their photos were displayed in an exhibition to show the development of the region over the past six decades. It was also an unforgettable year for the family. "One of my sisters-in-law was diagnosed with cancer, but she was very optimistic and proposed to arrange our own Spring Festival Gala," Yang Minwu said. They celebrated a unique Spring Festival with family members and gave their well-prepared performances on the Lunar New Year's Eve. "My niece gave birth to a lovely girl in February, so we have a new face to feature in the family photos now," Yang Minwu said. "But sadly, my sister-in-law passed away in October, and the family photos taken in 2018 became the last ones with her." This year, the family decided not to take family photos during the Spring Festival. "One of my nieces is studying in Linköping University, Sweden, it is such a pity that she could not make it home. We are going to save the photo for when she returns," Yang Minwu explained. "I will also become a grandfather in 2019, and I want to introduce my grandchild to the whole family in this special way. That is also what family photos mean to me—togetherness." Copyedited by Craig Crowther Comments to mamm@bjreview.com |
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