Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China
Home / China / Newsmaker

Local photographer preserves beauty of Great Wall

China Daily | Updated: 2025-01-10 09:09
Share
Share - WeChat
This undated photo by Duan Jiujun shows the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall in Luanping county, North China's Hebei province. [Photo/Xinhua]

SHIJIAZHUANG — Visitors to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall of China can hardly ignore the stunning pictures of the UNESCO Heritage Site exhibited along the trail toward the exit. Many of the photos are credited to Duan Jiujun.

Through Duan's lens, visitors can enjoy magnificent views of the Great Wall against backdrops including spring blossoms, drifting clouds, winter snow, starry skies and even double rainbows.

His work gives the impression of a professional photographer who has made frequent visits to the area. But in fact, Duan, 56, is a local from Hualougou village at the foot of Jinshanling Great Wall who put aside his plow and picked up a camera over 20 years ago.

Located about 150 kilometers north of Beijing in Hebei province, Jinshanling is one of the most well-preserved sections of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) structure and an ideal spot for photography lovers due to its perfect integration with the landscape.

In the late 1980s, when tourism began to grow in the local area, Duan saw an opportunity to make some additional income for his family by opening a rural guesthouse.

In 2003, a photographer named Wang Jianwu stayed in Duan's guesthouse for more than a year. Duan was so captivated by Wang's work that he hung the pictures on the walls of the building.

"With these photos and the stories behind them, it wasn't just an ordinary farmhouse anymore — it became a place with cultural elements," Duan said.

Before leaving, Wang told Duan: "Keep shooting. The photos on the walls will be your own in a few years." Encouraged by these words, Duan started with a borrowed camera and soon began to delve into the art of photography.

With camera in hand, Duan's fascination grew into a passion. Despite doubts from some villagers, he invested in better equipment and spent countless hours learning photography techniques.

With his photography improving, Duan began to garner attention. His photos of the Great Wall, often showcasing its awe-inspiring beauty, started to win awards and drew more tourists to the area, helping Duan's family business to thrive.

But photography offered Duan more than just economic gains. Soon other photography enthusiasts sought him out for guidance, impressed by his deep knowledge of the area.

"One day, when a photographer called out 'Teacher Duan', I didn't think he was referring to me, and I looked around at the others," said Duan, who is now a member of the China Photographers Association and China Great Wall Society.

"It gives me a feeling of joy and accomplishment, too," he said with a gentle smile.

Duan's success has inspired others in Hualougou village. Among them is Zhou Baoquan, who used to be a truck driver and had other jobs away from his hometown. Following in Duan's footsteps, he returned home to run a farmhouse and later also became a Great Wall photographer.

Since he bought his first camera in 2011, Zhou has come to the Great Wall whenever he has found time.

"The Great Wall was our playground during childhood," Zhou said. "More than 10 years after I returned home, it still gives me comfort and strength.

"You can read history from it," Zhou added.

"After all these years, you still find many details, including inscriptions and decorations on the walls. So the ancient soldiers didn't just build it for defense; they also had their ways of expressing their feelings and desire for better lives."

What started as a small group has grown into a community of farmer-photographers who have turned the village into a veritable "photography village", with its photographer association boasting over 50 members.

Once mostly reliant on farming, the villagers have now turned their homes into guesthouses, providing accommodations for the many photographers and tourists visiting from around China and the world.

In 2014, the village formed a rural tourism cooperative, which has broken down barriers between individual business owners and allowed them to promote Hualougou as a collective.

Hualougou is now home to more than 100 guesthouses, which together host over 100,000 visitors annually. Some of the popular ones can generate over 1 million yuan ($139,000) in annual revenue.

This influx of tourism has created jobs for more than 700 local residents, helping to lift the rural community out of poverty and into a new phase of pursuing revitalization. Such an undertaking is also ongoing in many other rural areas since China declared the eradication of extreme poverty in 2021.

The village has proposed that its revitalization should be on the premise of preserving the Great Wall's culture, Zhou said.

For these farmers, photography has become an act of preservation. They view their images not only as a source of income but also as a way to protect the Great Wall's legacy.

"When tourists visit, they ask many questions about the Great Wall, so I learn about the Great Wall from books and pass that knowledge on to others," Duan said.

"I don't see us just as photographers. We are guardians and ambassadors of the Great Wall's culture," he said.

Xinhua

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
 
主站蜘蛛池模板: 91香蕉国产线观看免| 久久水蜜桃亚洲AV无码精品| 一个人免费视频观看在线www| 狠狠色丁香久久婷婷综合| 国产精品黄页在线播放免费| 亚洲午夜一区二区电影院| 韩国伦理s级在线| 成人a毛片视频免费看| 亚洲一区二区三区在线网站 | 精品亚洲456在线播放| 天天摸天天做天天爽水多| 亚洲国产精品无码久久青草| 精品国产欧美精品v| 国产太嫩了在线观看| 67194久久| 日本最大色倩网站www| 亚洲欧美中文字幕在线网站 | 久久婷婷丁香五月综合五| 绝美女神抬臀娇吟| 国模精品一区二区三区| 久久精品无码午夜福利理论片| 精品福利一区二区三区免费视频| 国内精品久久久久久久影视麻豆 | 青草青草久热精品视频在线观看| 国产精品无码免费专区午夜| www.污网站| 成年人影院在线观看| 全彩熟睡侵犯h| 在线日本妇人成熟| 天天舔天天干天天操| 中文字幕日本电影| 日韩精品无码一区二区三区| 亚洲国产精品综合久久网各| 特黄特黄一级高清免费大片 | h视频在线观看免费观看| 我叫王筱惠第1部分阅读| 久久无码精品一区二区三区| 欧美xxxxx69| 亚洲日本一区二区三区在线不卡| 男人插女人视频软件| 午夜dj在线观看免费高清在线 |