The Beauty of Guangdong

by+Wang+Shuo

Twelve photographers from five European countries spent nine days traveling around 16 cities of Guangdong Province along four different routes. From morning to night， they attempted various approaches： standing still， walking fast， kneeling and even lying on the ground to find the best angle. A story hides behind each outstanding photo. These stories recount how a group of European photographers learned about and recorded China with their lenses 700 years after Marco Polo traveled to China.

In the 13th Century， The Travels of Marco Polo inspired great European fascination with China. Marco Polo， an Italian merchant traveler， lived in China for 17 years， during which time he visited many places， including Yunnan and southeastern coastal areas.

In a wink， 700 years have passed， but Chinese history and culture remain acutely appealing to the Western world. To showcase the natural scenery， cultural customs and open， inclusive attitude of modern Guangdong for Europe and the whole world， the event “2015 Guangdong through the Lenses of European Photographers，”organized by China Pictorial， the Information Office of Guangdong Provincial Government and the Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province， kicked off on May 11. Twelve European photographers from Italy， France， Germany， Hungary and Spain spent nine days visiting 16 Guangdong cities along four routes， including Guangzhou， Shenzhen， Shaoguan， and Chaozhou.

Among the photographers， some were visiting China for the first time， and some had been working or living in China for many years. For Lucio Trizzino， a 76-yearold Italian photographer， it was his first trip to China. “Im very glad for the opportunity to come to Guangdong because Chinese culture is so alluring，” he remarked.“I hope to inspire more intuitive understanding of Guangdong amongst European people with my lens.” Before the trip， what he knew about Guangdong was only that it was home to one of the earliest trade ports to the foreign countries in Chinese history and was an important origin of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. But he had long yearned to learn the history of cultural exchange between Guangdong and Europe.

German Maria Dost also came to China for the first time. “If not for this

event， I couldnt imagine traveling all the way to China，” she said. She also gushed about finding so many fascinating things in China and the uniqueness of all the cities. Still， Chinese peoples kindness and hospitality especially impressed her.

French photographer Laurent Hou was particularly drawn to motorcycles in Guangdong. He constantly searched for passing motorcycles， and when he found one， he pressed the shutter immediately. “I have taken over 1，000 various pictures of motorcycles，” he estimates. “Some motorcycles are used for transporting people and some for goods. Some riders wear helmets and some wear raincoats in the rain.”

Balazs Kaplar from Hungary has been living and working in China for many years， but he still found many surprises at this event. “Actually， Ive been to Guangdongs Dongguan many times， but all the trips focused on its economic development. This time， I discovered the stunning natural scenery. Im going to come to Dongguan again with my friends. I want to take them all around the city in a convertible to get a closer look.”

In May， Guangdongs weather compares to a babys face. One second its totally sunny， and the next， heavy rain could pour down. However， whatever the weather， the photographers never stopped shooting. In Chikan ancient town， they waited meticulously to capture the right light for four hours under the burning sun. And in the heavy rain on Tianlushan Mountian， photographers sacrificed their jackets to protect their gear and kept shooting for an hour on the freezing rocks. Although constantly lugging around heavy gear， whenever they found something to shoot， they went for it immediately. To get the perfect angle， theyd twist in a plethora of positions.

“A great photograph fully expresses what one feels， in the deepest sense， about the subject， and is， thereby， a true manifestation of what one feels about life in its entirety” renowned American photographer Ansel Adams once said， and many photographers in the event appreciate such sentiments. “I hope this can be a chance to better communicate the beauty of Guangdong so that more people will discover Guangdong and China，” said Italian photographer Massimo Colato.