Weekly Photo Challenge — Saturation; China’s Colorful Ethnic Minorities
“Mystique saturates, gluts the air,
Adventure’s even more than rare. ”
Mariecor Ruediger
This week, Michele has challenged us to illustrate “Saturation”, which I’ve chosen to do through the colorful women of China’s ethnic minorities.
There are 56 different ethnic cultures in China, each of them with their own colorfully-saturated costumes and unique dialects. Although some 90% of the people are Han Chinese, the other 10% are an interesting study of preserving heritage in the face of modern challenges.
“Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.”
Margaret Bourke-White
For example, Yao women, such as two above, cut their hair only once in their lives, at the age of 18. They keep the long, cut piece and add it to the rest of their hair, which reaches down to their feet in many cases.
“Strange how one person can saturate a room with vitality. ”
John Steinbeck
In Tibetan culture everyone participates in working the fields, whether they have children or not. The woman above shows the real meaning of “working mom”, while the one below does a fine job of shepherding the family flock.
“Silence: my response to both emptiness and saturation.”
Ariel Gore
In the Bai culture, although the young women dress very colorfully, older women choose to wear darker tones like black and purple. The lovely ladies below were happy to have their photo taken as long as I was willing to give them “editorial privileges”, and to keep shooting until they were happy with my results 🙂
Below, the more typical costumes of younger Bai. Interestingly, the position of their tassels tells whether they are married or single, and each of the colors in their hats signifies a key element of their culture.
“The sun rose, the moon saturated the night sky with its silver light and the stars blazed, indifferent to the events happening below.”
Victoria Hilsop
The Naxi tribeswomen have a very interesting perspective. Until about 10 years ago, their husbands would leave for 6 to 9 months to travel a very dangerous trade route on the “Tea-Horse Road”. While they were gone, the women did all of the work. Once they returned, the women were so glad they had come back safely, they continued to do the work and completely pamper their husbands. This tradition continues today, even though the Tea Horse Road is no longer in use. Naxi women do the vast majority of the work while the men live in “Male Paradise”, playing games and whiling away their hours.
“We are shaped by what we’re saturated in, which is why incarnation must always be paired with devotion.”
P. Huertz and D. Prince
Everywhere we went in China we met friendly, hard-working women, both Han and minority. Here then, a tribute to some of the beautiful female faces of China:
“The effort of the genuine spiritual seeker should be to cultivate love until the mind becomes saturated by it.”
Bhante Y. Wimala
Although all of the ethnic minorities and the Han majority speak different languages, over the centuries they have developed a “local language” which allows them to communicate with one another. In this way they preserve their unique heritage but also inter-relate successfully. Perhaps we could learn a bit from them there, no?
Thanks to Michele for her interesting challenge. To experience more Saturation, click here.
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Lovely photos Tina, you captured people’s expressions of their soul.
Many thanks Valentina-it was my privilege 🙂
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beautiful shots Tina…
Really love them
Thanks very much Ryan!
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Your photos are fantastic, and I love that you handed over editorial control to your subjects! Just love this series.
LOL, thanks Elisa! They were such fun subjects. Every shot they came and looked at the screen, smiled, said something in Chinese to one another and then sat for another shot. So adorable, giggling like schoolgirls :-). Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful!!!!!!!
Many thanks Cali GirlM
Sorry my computer is slow. When I first clicked on your post only the long hair lady came up then said to leave a comment. Now that I’ve seen the whole collection I think they are fabulous. Truly a wonderful fulfillment of your trip and with awesome side notes. Good job.
I’m sorry your computer is slow too :-). But seriously, hanks for hanging in for the rest of the post and for your lovely comment!
I believe I saw the hair wrap in one of your photos. Your pictures had a nice flow to them. That is they were easy to follow, and it was a good depiction of what life is like for the woman over there. I think you did a wonderful job on them
Many thanks James!
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Fantastic shots, Tina.
Many thanks Fred! It’s been quite a journey 🙂
Beautiful photos and explanations! I think the Naxi women need to tell their men to start going to feed themselves!
I agree whole-heartedly, the Naxi have taken women’s lib a bit too far LOL! Thanks for your lovely comment Milka!
Hey T…..wonderful. The eyes, posing, backgrounds, views from behind, etc. tell a cultural story without words. You have captured the essence of your muses. Awesome! SQ
Thanks Suz! It’s been a real education for me, and my camera is exhausted!! So many photo ops, so little time 🙂
Perfect! The photos, the narrative, just perfect.
Ahhhh, never perfect–always room for improvement! But I sincerely appreciate your saying so! Many thanks!!
Such a fascinating set of pictures and comments, Tina. So colourful too. I look forward to reading more and following your travel path.
Thanks so much-happy you’re enjoying them. I k ow how much I’ve enjoyed seeing and shooting them! Their smiles are truly infectious, especially in light of the incredibly hard work they do!
Your trip looks so wonderful with almost an overload for the senses. You’ve captured them beautifully – the people with their incredible faces
and the rich colors! However, I wouldn’t be smiling if I was hauling all that around while Ed hung out with the guys 🙂
Hi ML– yes it’s been quite the riot of color, texture and smell (mostly good!!). And no kidding on the hanging out w the guys! It’s something to see. A woman loaded with a heavy basket on her back walking miles to market while the men sit nearby smoking and playing games. Definitely would NOT fly in our world!!
stunning … love the first two images in particular;ar
Thanks very much Jensine! Those two ladies were very proud of their tresses and happily unwound and rewound them for my lens. I was amazed and happily shot away for the whole process. Then they posed with me while my husband took a shot. So very sweet and friendly.
and glorious hair …well done you
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I can’t decide which was more enriching, the photos or the commentary. I loved the quotes you sprinkled throughout about saturation. I’ve noticed in parts of the Middle East and Africa that the women and children do the majority of the work while men drink coffee and play games. I guess it’s “beneath” them.
My two favorite shots are the smiling Han Helms woman and the Pink Hat. Looks like a wonderful trip!
Were you surprised how clean the streets were?
I had a friend who visited China and said she expected littered streets, but found even villages were exceptionally tidy.
Hi Kelly Grace, and thanks for stopping by! Yes, I’ve been surprised by many things here, including the spotless streets everywhere. More though, by how friendly the people are, and that they are still so curious about foreigners. Apparently 80-90% of the tourists are Chinese, especially in the more remote areas we visited.
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Amazing photos! Thanks for the tour, Tina.
My pleasure Amy–thanks for your visit and comment!
Beautiful representation of the minority women in China. Are they all from Yunan? One of the minorities in Yunan is Tibetan too.
Hi Denise, thanks for your visit and lovely compliment. Several but not all of the photos are from Yunnan, including the Tibetan women who were in Shangri-La. There are also shots from Beijing, Guilin and several other areas. The Bai women were in Dali and the Yao were up in Longsheng, it’s been quite an education for me!
Amazing photos, Tina. Very rich culture. Thanks for letting me “ride along” on your trip with your photos.
Thanks for joining in the fun Kath! We were among the last to go to China but the juxtaposition of modern vs ancient has been amazing so I’m glad we waited!
Absolutely gorgeous to look at and very interesting to read!
Have a gread day,
Charlie
Thanks Charlie! Glad you enjoyed :-). Happy weekend to you!
Wonderful photos, Tina! You’re showing us the life we don’t know anything about. Bravo!
Many thanks Svetlana! It’s a life I too knew nothing about and has been really enriching for me. Truly my perspective has been vastly improved! Appreciate your visit and comment.
The women are right to ask for “editorial privileges” see how your pictures turned. Excellent shots, Tina. What a wealthy lifestyle these women lives. Just remarkable.
It really is remarkable, isn’t it! They are always smiling and sweet no matter their burdens. The two ladies were great fun, giggled like 2 schoolgirls and seemed to really have fun seeing the screen after each shot. I could have stayed all day!
Tremendous pics and an important social document too.
Thank you Tish! There are fewer community members of the minorities each year as younger people move off to the big cities to find an easier life. I’m happy to have seen them while they are still maintaining a traditional life.
Dear Tina…Here, in front of my eyes, I have the feeling of being in front of the most wonderful tribute to women, any woman from any part of the World…As one of them, I only can say “Thanks”…
What a beautiful comment Ilargia. Thank you so much. These women should make us all proud to be among them!
I agree!
Truly, a wonderful visual narrative–some of the portraits are heartfelt and dig into the individual’s character. The first two captivate.
Many thanks Sally! The two long-haired ladies were particularly proud and happy to show me their incredible long hair–my husband took my photo with them and its one ill treasure as a wonderful memory!
Fabulous photos. You’ve captured the people so well. And your camera work is right on! http://ohtheplaceswesee.com
Many thanks Rusha! There is so much going on around you all of the time here, sometimes you just have to put the camera down and observe—but it’s so hard to do that when the visual feast is so rich!!
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Great shots – beautiful people. Interesting as usual, Tina. Thank you for sharing!
Many thanks Ann Christine! The people are so warm and lovely it’s hard not to get carried away. Many times I thought about the post-processing work but then carried on anyway as the opportunities were too good to pass up!
Some very interesting information and cool shots, Tina! ‘Long road home’ is an excellent image. The composition, perspective and an apt caption make it a very strong photograph. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to see more:)
Many thanks Uday! As usual you have chosen my personal favorite for comment. All of the people here are so open to us, it’s amazing. They are more curious about us than we are about them at times! In the remote regions they see very few westerners, which was a surprise to me!
Interesting as ever and very beautiful photos, Tina. I love the rich colours in these wonderful set of photos. Thank you for sharing!
groetjes, Francina
Thank you Francina. It’s been a fabulous experience, full of surprises, all of them good! Appreciate your visit and lovely comment.
Fabulous, informative post, Tina. I looove that last image! You certainly have an unerring eye for a captivating image… 🙂
Many thank Sue, you chose my favorite, which is why I saved it for last :-). All of the women were so interesting, each in her own way. It’s been a marvelous education for me!
🙂
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This trip has been so enlightening and enjoyable for me! Thanks for sharing this journey. I had no idea thrill when I requested to be on ur list.
Thanks soooo much.
Ann
Thanks for joining the fun Ann! I’ve really had such a wonderful time trying to capture the warmth and spirit of the people and places we’ve seen. Appreciate your following along!
Such stunning and timeless shots, Tina. Your trip to China must have been a glorious immersion into a different culture – I’d like such a trip one day.
It’s been an amazing journey Lynne–if you can, you should. It’s quite a surprising eye-opener for me, and the photography opportunities are everywhere!
You have certainly captured the various cultures….fabulous photos….great eye!!!!
I love this adventure….again, thank you for taking me….can’t wait for more!!
Thanks, as always April, for your enthusiasm! It’s been an amazing time for me and I love sharing my subjects, who are so spectacular!
A well ‘saturated’ post – images and words. A woman’s work is never done it seems and you have some excellent photos of them going abou their work. I LOVE the purple waistcoat in the TWO BAI TWO image.
Jude xx
Thanks Jude! There were some really interesting “wearables” along the way–perhaps a subject for another post :-). Appreciate your visit and comment.
Great select of images Tina! I especially like the last one of the woman walking away from shot. It tells a great story.
Thanks Ben, my personal favorite as well. All of the ladies were wonderful subjects, but that one kind of made me feel her fatigue after a long day. All about the story, isn’t it?!
Fascinating post….. So informative …. Colors, faces, expressions! Awesome.. Thanks
Many thanks Miss Linda! S happy you’re enjoying. Hope the recuperation is going well!
I came here to see the color-saturated challenge picture and came away with eyes full of color and a heart full of love. This was an amazing photo gallery of the beauty side of these hard-working women. Not only did each color have its own story to tell, but so did each wrinkle and each smile. Great job!
Thank you so much Sandra! I loved how you phrased your comment as it truly captured what I was trying to show. Appreciate it very much!
What a beautiful post, Tina! Should be in National Geographic!
Your lips, God’s ears! LOL. Serious thanks for your lovely compliment!
Amazing captures. You have certainly “saturated” us with wonderful images and information on the culture
Many thanks Nora. Headed home but may be posting china for quite a while 🙂
Lovely post Tina. Well done. Keep shooting!
Many thanks Michael–count on it!
Thank you Tina! Perfect Post! I love seeing other cultures and you nailed it.
Thanks Phil, appreciate your visit and comment!
Oh, Tina. You have totally made me want to go there again. I love the faces, the colors, the scenery… I had to be drug out of the museum in Shanghai where they had a section showing examples of the ethnic minorities…faces, dress, adornment, etc. Great post!
Thanks Sharon. Incredible everywhere you look, and changing so quickly!
Tina — All your people shots were great, but you saved the very best frame for last. Well done, girlfriend.
Many thanks Tom! You chose my favorite my friend, good eye 🙂
Loved the photo of the senior Bai ladies.
That were so fun–really enjoying my attention I think :-). Best of friends too. I could have spent all day with them!!
Excellent! What a contrast, the China of the rural areas, and the China of the large urban centres.
Amazing dichotomy everywhere here. Old, new, rich, poor, wet, dry, mts, valleys—quite the experience for me? Thanks for your comment!
Beautiful pictures 🙂
Thank you Gaurab!
Alaways great shots Tina !
Many thanks Max!