I’ve been working as a photojournalist for 20 years. My travels have brought me almost everywhere in China, from the biggest cities to the most magnificent natural sites, which has granted me a panoramic vision of my country’s geography and the daily lives of its people. China is a multi-ethnic country stretching over a vast area. Whether the subjects are human, historical or landscapes, there is plenty here for a photographer. In fact, I don’t think that any other country can compare.
Like my fellow Chinese, I remember a time when all that mattered was a full stomach and some clothes on our backs. Like them, I longed to lead a better life. Over the past 20 or 30 years, the Chinese economy has made a tremendous leap forward, and its influence on the world stage continues to grow. But this created a number of problems. The development between the cities and the countryside has been very unbalanced, and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. There is a clear contradiction between wanting to improve the economy at any price and trying to protect the environment, or guarantee there will be enough food for everyone.
Another problem seems even more troubling: corrupt government officials. For the past ten years, our leaders have been saying that they’ll root out the problem. But in fact, the more they cry “corruption” the more corruption spreads. So it’s no surprise that people get discouraged. Our country is expected to become ever more powerful, its doors will continue opening up to the world, and we will face a growing number of new problems which no government will be able to solve in the short term, especially not if corruption remains at its current level. But then again, let’s be realistic: who can claim to live in a perfect country?
BOOK
China Now
Direction : Yann Layma
360 x 250 mm
192 pages
Punlisher: La Martinière
09 octobre 2014
ISBN 9782732448824
49 €
