A Wry Look at China’s Development

Yan Ming is a Chinese photographer who I’ve followed on Flickr for some years. I’d always been impressed with his black-and-white photographs taken along the banks of rivers, and I recently came across a more complete series of his work, “Country of Ambition.” The title of this work might at first seem to indicate a grandiose statement about the development of China, but as you can tell from the photo above, this series is not exactly about glorifying the country’s recent exploits. It never seems like Yan Ming is making fun of his subjects, but still, to pair that title with these photos shows that he’s looking at China askew.

From “Country of Ambition”

In 2011, we also took a look at some of the photography being produced by the shores of China’s rivers. It really is surprising how many photographers shoot in this style, but it’s still enjoyable to see nicely-composed images taken by the shore of a river. I wonder if this photography will eventually move into another phase, or whether young Chinese photographers will continue to flock to the river for years to come. We’re on the beat, and will keep you posted.

From “Country of Ambition”