a girl in a polo-neck by Richard Thomson
Photographer: Richard Thomson
When and Where: Miao (minority) village festival, near Kaili, Guizhou, China, 2000.
Getting the Shot: I got here by chance after deciding to follow a man who did the Asian drop-hand sign towards me by a roadside a few miles outside Kaili. 'Come here', he signaled. I did. I followed him for an hour or two along tracks in order to find out why. It just felt as though he must have had a good reason. The reason become obvious when banners became visible over the track near the entrance to his village: a festival.
The Details: The festival takes place once every 13 years. It includes a parade of girls and young women displaying themselves for marriage (in an incessant circle over three days to lusheng music and drunken mothers), and honoring of ancestors....This is a picture from the procession the ladies here are watching. The girl didn't stop for this portrait. The elaborate headdresses were made of tin or silver, depending on what could be afforded by an individual family, and were topped with buffalo horns (not visible!)....It ended in normal fashion in these parts, with a men's basketball game.
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Wow.
What an amazing coincidence.
Posted by: Annette | November 08, 2007 at 09:53 AM