PHOTOS: A Day in the Life of a Tibetan Village in Sichuan

By Dominic Ngai

Shanghai-based American photographer Benjamin Newbry often travels to remote areas of China by motorcycle to find interesting subjects for his work. One village occupied by a Tibetan family in northwest Sichuan in particular has captivated him for the past six years.

It all started when Newbry first visited the area in 2010 on one of these motorcycle journeys. During a small detour on his way to the city of Dege (along the border with Tibet), he encountered members of the family, who invited him into their home for tea.

“I was hooked,” says Newbry of that serendipitous meeting. “I came back [over and over again in subsequent years], staying longer and talking more with the family and the small village of 17 houses each time.”

Lila is entering Grade 4 this year and is the best Mandarin speaker in the village.

Dong Zhou is entering Grade 2 this year.

Hu Zhen Norva was recently married and had his first daughter last year.

More of the family and the village’s backstories were revealed to Newbry on each visit. Meanwhile, fascinating changes to the infrastructure of the community and the people add a colorful touch to his photo series of candid shots of the simple daily lives of those who live in the village.

“They’ve gone from no reliable electricity to having solar panels feeding a battery in every house; from no cell phone reception to having ubiquitous iPhones [over the years]. The 5-year-old girl who spoke no Mandarin when we first met has grown into a whip-smart 11-year-old who won an award for having the best Mandarin skills in the region,” Newbry explains.

Pen Cu became a monk at age 12 and is currently studying at a monk college.

Seila has two children from her first husband, one from her second husband and two from her current partner.

For his next trip, Newbry hopes to play with the juxtaposition of the foreign romanticized notions about Tibetan life to the reality. “I’d like to showcase a staged portrait of the members of the family in traditional garb and a shot of them doing something in their everyday routine next to one another.”

To see more of Benjamin Newbry’s work, visit www.cassiusproductions.com.

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