In late 2009 I learned about a remarkable story. It is the story of a couple who lived in Shandong province, told by their son Jian Bo, a renowned photographer, who works at China’s State Council News Office where he heads the Art Photo Library. In 1974 he began to record with his camera the life of his parents. In December 1998, a collection of these photos became the subject of an exhibition at the China National Art Gallery. His parents were there to cut the ceremonial ribbon whereby the exhibition was declared open. The exhibition was celebrated by the media as one that “moved the capital and stirred the entire nation”. That year, Jian Bo’s collection of photos was awarded the grand prize in an international competition of photos documenting traditional folk life and customs.

In the spirit of these pages — to tell my cnounters with and the stories of ordinary Chinese people — I’ve decided to publish this story here. I’ve attempted to contact Jian Bo to ask for permission to do so, but have not received a reply. I hope that when he finds out he won’t object to my sharing his story with all of you.

To view the original Chinese version, please follow this link. Jian Bo’s blog site is here. (为了看看原中文版的故事，请点击这个链接.)

And now, here is the story of Jian Bo’s parents….
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