Stunning Photos of China from Siena Photography Awards
By Ella Wong
Sometimes it’s hard to see beyond the smog in China, but photographers – like those behind the Eyes on China Instagram project or these winners at the inaugural edition of the Siena International Photography Awards – remind us that there’s plenty of beauty to capture.
Photo of the year: On the river by Vladimir Proshin
Chinese fishermen while they are fishing on a river close to the city of Lishui. The image was taken in 2013 during a photo tour when the photographer was invited by the 15th China International Photographic Art Exhibition under the patronage of FIAP and the Chinese Photographic Organization and where he was also awarded the gold medal.
Braving the storm by Joseph Tam
This shot was taken from a water-front fishing village. The fisherman rowing the timber boat is a courier who brings the catches from fishing boats to shore regularly. The swirling threat of the storm clouds and thunderous clamour of the angry waves sends a foreboding message to most.
Li River fishermen by The Eng Loe Djatinegoro
Location: Li River, Guilin
Fishermen catching fish from Li River in the northeast of Guangxi province, using trained cormorants birds to dive and catch the fishes. Cormorant fishing is a traditional method practiced in China since more than a thousand years.
Fighting horses by Joseph Tam
This shot was taken during a Chinese New Year period where ethnic minority villagers are allowed to have a game of horses fighting once a year. The fighting ground is surrounded by chanting villagers to support their horses "Et Tu Brute!". The deep sense of betrayal burns through his eyes as the teeth of his best friend clamps onto his skin. A unique moment when equine "horse play" gets real.
Sunrise at the Great Wall of China by Joseph Tam
Location: Simatai, Hebei
‘Where I was standing is the hardest part of the Great Wall to reach without special climbing gear. This image captures the wall’s timeless magnificence as a true celebration of mankind and a reflection of the rising dragon that is China and its place in the world order.’
Looks by Cristina Garzone
Location: Kashgar, Xinjiang
This Uyghur woman with her son, living in the Chinese province of Xinjiang was waiting in a small medical centre in Kashgar, the capital. Cristina noticed the boy was looking at her through the mirror, and the mother directly.
Larung Gar Buddhist Academy by Jørgen Johanson
Location: Sertar, Sichuan
Houses for the 40,000 monks and nuns sprawl all over the valley at the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy also known as the Serthar Buddhist Institute. Larung Gar is located in a very remote area in the Larung Valley at an elevation of 4,000 meters. The thousands of small wooden houses perched on the mountain make up one of the largest and most influential centers of Buddhist study in the world.
Farmers at work on ricefields by Marco Loaldi
Location: Yuanyang Rice Terraces, Yunnan
The rice fields of Yuanyang are located in Southern China at 1900 meters high: time has stopped here. In winter rice fields are irrigated and the sunrise light helps to make the atmosphere really unique.
N° 13 by Giuseppe Savino
Location: Lishui
Pantry numbered wooden dishes, in an old Chinese restaurant, now abandoned. N° 13 is the number of the last diner that has benefited from the services of this ancient Chinese restaurant. The owner had forgotten to close the meal compartment, perhaps because he must have thought to return the following day. Day that never arrived!
Lunch time by Enrique Lopez-Tapia
Location: Dong village, Guizhou
A grandmother tries to feed her grandson under the watchful eyes of the two house dogs. Grandparents are very important in the Dong region. While parents work, the grandparents look after their children.
[Images and descriptions via SIPA]
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