Chinese Families Demonstrate All Their Belongings In A Single Photo
In the last 10 years, Chinese photographer Huang Qingjun has travelled to 14 of the 33 provinces in China only to take pictures of different families with all their belongings in one frame. Qingjun asked the families to empty their homes and carefully arrange all their belongings outside, revealing the content of their households not only to the photographer but probably to themselves as well.
The aim of the “Family Stuff” (“Jiadang”) project was to document the effects of modernisation on rural Chinese families and expose the varying relationships between people and their material possessions. What’s even more amazing is how the photographer managed to persuade the families to go to such trouble to bring all their stuff out of their homes and expose it to the light of day and a stranger‘s eye. Luckily for us, there were quite a few such volunteers, each of whom probably had a unique chance to rethink their lives, relive their memories and revive their relationships with their belongings.
Source: huangqingjun.com
Got wisdom to pour?
This gives me perspective. It makes me so grateful for all the things I’ve been blessed with! I think I would have 2-3 times as much as any of these families, and I am only one person! However, it’s for that reason that I’m a little ashamed at the frivolousness of my own lifestyle. I’ve always tried to be practical and frugal, but that’s only in comparison to the culture I live in.
This gives me perspective. It makes me so grateful for all the things I’ve been blessed with! I think I would have 2-3 times as much as any of these families, and I am only one person! However, it’s for that reason that I’m a little ashamed at the frivolousness of my own lifestyle. I’ve always tried to be practical and frugal, but that’s only in comparison to the culture I live in.
noticed none of them are overweight! And where did that one mom get TWO kids? Better hide one.
Terri – There are several exceptions to the One Child policy.
Doesn’t sound like he paid them if he refers to them as volunteers
I hope he paid them to do this? If not he then took advantage of them and is a horrible person that deserves NO attention
Horrible, Horrible I hope that the photography gave these people money, if he didn’t then he is a jack-ass. No one deserves to be this poor or poorer than this.
not rich at all. That life is hard and stressful. My parents came from that kind of poverty. If you ever experienced it you would know that they don’t even have the basic stuff that they need. They have shoes and clothes that are 20 years old and falling apart. They don’t have a decent bed, sofa, they have to wash everything by hand (at least 2 hour job). I wish they would get more help. One of those people don’t even have windows but rather come plastic over where the window should be…
these guys are rich. they’ve got everything what they need and they are happy…
Count how many of them have refrigerators. And use coal-fired/propane stoves. What do you suppose they heat their homes with in the winter, if they’ve got just enough power to run a television? Also fun fact for those of you who can’t read Chinese: the family in photo #4 will soon be kicked out, if they live in that neighborhood marked 拆, which means “knock down”. Their home will be replaced by a high-rise apartment building that no doubt they cannot afford to live in. Just saying. These people are the opposite of rich, and they know it.