The Temple of Heaven
This epic photograph was shot at the imperial complex of religious buildings and public park, the Temple of Heaven, in southeastern Beijing in 2014.
It depicts the quotidian activities at the Long Corridor, situated near the East Gate. The location is known as a “perfect place to see those morning park goers doing their activities, showcasing the rich and authentic daily life of the local people.” The work consist of 10 (ten) large photographic panels, each one roughly 5 feet in length, making the work 50 feet long (15.25 meters), and thus references Chinese panoramic painting and handscroll format.
At first appearing as a documentary photograph, it reveals itself to contain many features that could be interpreted as having been constructed by the photographer, perhaps even deliberately staged:
…there are precisely 88 figures seen in the foreground, and this is an auspicious number in Chinese numerology and folklore;
...The people are mostly older, perhaps pensioners, enjoying the leisure time that China’s capitalist economy has only recently afforded them;
...A single child is present, a possible reference to China’s One-Child-Policy (abandoned in 2016);
… With only 1 notable exception (the man holding a fan is wearing traditional Chinese shoes), everyone is wearing clothing designed and destined for the Western market;
…Women are largely introspective, while men are actively engaged – sometimes aggressively—in their card play;
… An incident seems to be occurring centred around the one figure wearing a prominently red baseball cap, who is possibly the only non-Asian person pictured;
… Patterned clothing is overwhelmingly not Chinese. A dizzying array of floral and ornamental designs clash against others in proximity;
…The list goes on…
While this photograph is ultimately a provisional one that asks viewers to participate in both its possible truths and fictions in equal measure, in remains a work that showcases and that can only exist within a particular moment in Chinese and global history.
