Stop VI of the Asian Saga. If you missed stop five, see it
here. This is really more of an intermission than a stop. After leaving Shanghai, I flew west to the province of Guangxi. I had read about the rice terraces and beautiful rivers in the province and decided I needed a break from city life. I spent about a week in the region, splitting my time evenly between the rice terraces of Dazhai and the Li River near Xing Ping. As far as natural settings go, this was one of the most stunning I have seen. The hills at times looked like something out of a fairy tale.
The rice terraces are inhabited by the Miao people and small villages dot the manicured hills. I can't fathom the amount of work that goes into terra-forming the land and growing the rice. I saw a few machines and animals but most of the work looked like it was done the old fashion way. It rained a lot when I was there and I was nursing the cold I picked up in Shanghai. The day hikes were harder than they should have been beacuse of this. Work was being done on a new cable car to the top, so in the future, no hiking will be required to see the terraces. Kind of misses the point.
About 200 km to the south is the Li River, known for the limestone karsts and the cormorant fishermen. I had seen photos of the fisherman online before my trip and really wanted to catch some in action. I found out my hostel offered tours to go see them so I signed up. The staff barely spoke English and couldn't explain the details very well. I thought I was going to see actual fishermen coming in for the night that didn't mind people photographing them. When I arrived at the river I realized I had personally rented a fisherman model that would pose for me for one hour. So much for authenticity. I really like some of the shots I came away with but the whole experience was farcical. I wasn't the only one on the banks taking photos. Dozens of photographers were lined up shooting other fishermen modeling on their boats. I use the term fishermen loosely as no fishing occurred during the hour. The apex of absurdity came when one man waded into the water and started spreading smoke from a smoke bomb. The white smoke drifted across the water and looked like mysterious fog rolled in. This really was just a staged photo shoot. Which brings up the question - do photos like these have to be authentic in order to be good? I think the shots stand on their own, but unlike other photos I've taken, have no documentary factor.
Since the whole fisherman experience was fake, I have no qualms over throwing some touristy music on top of it. Googled Chinese fishing music, this was the first link that popped up:
• Video Link
Would have panned right but then I'd have 50 other photographers in the frame.
Just some random farmer that let me cut across his land to climb one of the hills.
A quick set, and not nearly urban enough to put in the city photos. That wraps up China. Next I'll get down and dirty in Delhi.
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On the plus side, Ill have some crazy shots from India when I get back.
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