At point of writing, I'm half way through the video. It's interesting and good to see someone documenting China like this. I live in China and own a video company here in Guangzhou, will try and hook up with Zeng Han, see what he's up to face-to-face
the beauty in photography is that it captures and freezes the state of things. Things like constructions or rivers might seem stupid but what lies underneath is evidence of culture and social changes. Photo bring back memories. after 50 years these photos shot during the developing era of China will be very valuable because these photos represent that specific peroid of time, it's like a history book,but its more realistic and convincing.
Interesting photos, pretty sure some of his photos and photos of others will probably end up being stored and saved since it reflects a large changing period in China.
I love the circle building. It will look interesting when its done. ! But the lake pollution was so sad. I love modernisation of china, south korea and singapore.
I rode past the Circle Building last December. It looked completed already with its golden windows reflecting the pollution-filtered sunlight like a burning golden coin. But if you look closely, it appears to be abandoned already. There are several broken panes and the construction equipment below looks rusted and disused. Why was it built and what will become of it in another couple years?
i dont know if youre asking that because maybe the prominent language in that city is cantonese but he said he moved there after college so my guess is that where he grew up they spoke mandarin
As a working photographer for well over 20 years, I find it so ludicrous that wannabe film "purists" in the industry pretending that their film in the darkroom is any different than digital files in Lightroom (Photoshop). I am from the days of film, and I assure you this guy is dodging and burning, masking and correcting the highlights/shadows/exposure as much, if not more, than anyone shooting all digital, these days. With the cost of shooting 4×5 and 8×10 sheet film, even on cheap Chinese emulsions it is ludicrous to suggest otherwise. Trust me, he's NOT nailing his exposure in mid day sunlight across a river using a light meter and ground glass. C'mon, dude. Your work is good enough as a finished product. You don't have to lie to outsiders to feel like you belong more inside the craft. (Tits or GTFO, imho.)
He isn't from Guangzhou originally. Also, like Shenzhen, because there are so many people that come from the rest of China (futher afield than Guangdong province) living there Mandarin is common too.
Mandarin is the national common go to language in mainland China. As one of the largest city in China, it is totally ok for people to speak Mandarin in GuangZhou, even though the main language there is Cantonese. It is also possible this photographer grew up in a different part of China, therefore he might speak a different dialect. I personally grew up in GuangZhou so you can take my word for it :)
hyper-reality is such an interesting subject since we are in the post modern condition. very nice vice very nice. jean baudrillard is such an interesting philosopher and his book simulacra and simulation looks to be a great read
Really weird coincidence, was talking to a few friends about display cosplay earlier this week. So weird, it's like one of those things you keep hearing about throughout the week constantly.
You are correct, Cantonese is the most common dialect in Guangzhou but Mandarin is also widley used. You will find in China many people who use Cantonese can understand and communicate in both (and vice versa)
Like he said at the beginning, people come form all over China to Guangzhou and since most of China speak Mandarin obviously the majority dialect is Mandarin, and then you apply probability so its not a surprise he speaks mandarin. And Guangzhou is orignally a mixture of dialects and you'll even find ppl speaking dialects thats part mandarin and cantonese.
He's right, it would be like documenting the industrial revolution. What he's doing is probably going to be very important to Chinese history one day...
Guangzhou is a big hub city in the south and a lot of people from other provinces go to the city for work/school/etc. He said he went for university in 1993, so chances are he is from another province where Cantonese is not spoken.
put this into perspective European Union 700 million people : 15trillion Economy China 1500 million people : 5 trillion Economy How is China going to dominate this century again?
Primary reason, as mentioned at the start, he went to GZ in 1993 to study and so isn't a native from the area. He probably has picked up Cantonese, though unlikely fluent as I'm sure his GZ friends speak to him in Mandarin as Cantonese is not as understood in other parts of China. I find those that do understand Cantonese; studied abroad (had HK friends) or simply... liked watching TVB (HK dramas).
That's kind of like saying: "Why's he speaking English instead of French in Quebec?" Except in this case, Mandarin is actually the official language of the area and if he went to school there he'd be taught in Mandarin.
Good point. Some people don't like the though of eating dogs and cats because they view them as pets. It's a psychological thing. Pets are extensions of people's families, so it would be like eating a family member. This becomes part of the culture and extends to people who have never or will never own pets.
I believe it's part of Mao's efforts to standardised language to mandarin spoke throughout China. Thus, dialects like cantonese are less spoken, especially the younger people. Sorry for my bad english.
lol the door means nothing a lot of apartment buildings and homes have those in asia, hong kong, singapore, taipei. its just a cultural thing / extra precaution even though these places are pretty safe and "open"...
because everyone with a basic primary education in China understand mandarin? Cantonese is a mere dialect and mandarin is more formal to the audience. Interesting note: not that many people speak Cantonese, "Wu - Shanghai and surrounding provinces" is the most spoken regional dialect in China.
simple economics,its easier and cheaper to raise a litter of dogs over a cow.a breeding pair of dogs can give you 10-20 dogs a year.one bull and one cow will give you one or two cows a year.if you spice up the meat,it taste just like beef. i use to eat at a chinese resaurant that was shut down by the health department for having skinned dogs hanging in the back room.tasted just like beef.
Yes, China's economy is slightly slowing down. But what you don't see is that China's growth is still booming relative to the global economy. So China's reduction in economic growth is insignificant compared to what's happening in europe, etc.
never seen so many positive comments in a video about China. i remember barely 5 years ago, most of the comments would just be "F*ck communism " or something very negative and ignorant. It's nice to see that people are more open minded and less ignorant.
Have you been to Guangzhous in the last 5 years? Northerners have migrate there in the millions. They practically drowning out the Cantonese. You basically need to speak Mandarin to do anything in Guangzhou these day.
Many things that are extremely normal in the States are considered barbarian in other cultures too. (I saying this does not mean I consider those things "barbarian"; I just mean to say that you should not judge other people's behavior simply by your culture. And of course, the Ameircan culture is so predominated that you have the power to turn other cultures closer to yours, through e.g. holywood movies etc.)
It is ok... Cantonese and Mandarin are not that much different. Mandarin is the standard way of pronounciation, and all Chinese dialects like Cantonese have the same writing system. To use an analogy, it is kind of like people who speak Portuguese can at least understand Spanish if not speaking it fluently. The fact is just about everybody in Guangzhou can speak Mandarin and it is(I think) more widely spoken than Cantonese.
European Union is not a country or unified as the term suggests. Not to mention most of the EU is on Germany's back. Also, economy adjusted for purchasing power parity, China is much closer to the US. China may not dominate the century, but as long as it remains politically stable and the government continues to support economic activity, China very influential economically and culturally.
i was born and raised in Austria so i can say besides the smog in the city in china where my family comes from.. i think its quite comfortable there .. i wouldnt mind staying there... :> the living quality is actually quite good... i can get everything there & more :D but sadly only for the normal and upper class people.. :/ and besides that... the service those people give are excellent ... at least they greet you when you enter their shop ... slice of that wouldnt be bad for europeans...
This may be harsh of me but why the fuck not? So because he is currently located in a specific country he can't speak any other language? What difference does it make what language he happens to speak?
Not that I'm familiar with China, but it doesn't seem that strange to me. He wasn't born in Guangzhou, he studied there and then decided to live there. Higher education is probably all Mandarin in China, and especially if you want to become a journalist I bet your Mandarin has to be flawless. And perhaps the interviewer doesn't speak Cantonese... :)
True, but with the shear number of chinese people, there will always be an availability of workers who will work (willingly or not) for their government
At point of writing, I'm half way through the video. It's interesting and good to see someone documenting China like this. I live in China and own a video company here in Guangzhou, will try and hook up with Zeng Han, see what he's up to face-to-face
some of my most important photography was done in China. Mostly Shanghai for now. Will return soon.
the beauty in photography is that it captures and freezes the state of things. Things like constructions or rivers might seem stupid but what lies underneath is evidence of culture and social changes. Photo bring back memories. after 50 years these photos shot during the developing era of China will be very valuable because these photos represent that specific peroid of time, it's like a history book,but its more realistic and convincing.
Thanks again Vice for showing us another incredible artist.
vice is absolutely amazing. true journalism.
Very well done and quite thought provoking.
Great documentary. I've watched this twice. Beautiful videography and great discussion.
Interesting photos, pretty sure some of his photos and photos of others will probably end up being stored and saved since it reflects a large changing period in China.
Really liked this segment, this guy is very respectable. He knows his craft and is very aware of the reality that is happening in China
very interesting and insightful!
amazing photography!!!
拆的那杨箕村我在那里住了10几年，看到那一段真的触动了我的心！
I love the circle building. It will look interesting when its done. ! But the lake pollution was so sad. I love modernisation of china, south korea and singapore.
Guangzhou is a very diverse city where many many languages are spoken. I speak Ke jia hua or Hakka and I got around the city with ease :)
I rode past the Circle Building last December. It looked completed already with its golden windows reflecting the pollution-filtered sunlight like a burning golden coin. But if you look closely, it appears to be abandoned already. There are several broken panes and the construction equipment below looks rusted and disused. Why was it built and what will become of it in another couple years?
i dont know if youre asking that because maybe the prominent language in that city is cantonese but he said he moved there after college so my guess is that where he grew up they spoke mandarin
As a working photographer for well over 20 years, I find it so ludicrous that wannabe film "purists" in the industry pretending that their film in the darkroom is any different than digital files in Lightroom (Photoshop). I am from the days of film, and I assure you this guy is dodging and burning, masking and correcting the highlights/shadows/exposure as much, if not more, than anyone shooting all digital, these days. With the cost of shooting 4×5 and 8×10 sheet film, even on cheap Chinese emulsions it is ludicrous to suggest otherwise. Trust me, he's NOT nailing his exposure in mid day sunlight across a river using a light meter and ground glass. C'mon, dude. Your work is good enough as a finished product. You don't have to lie to outsiders to feel like you belong more inside the craft. (Tits or GTFO, imho.)
wow, this is an extremely fascinating take on Chinese modernization. thanks vice!
Awesome story. Thanks
I always enjoy your videos vice. Thanks for the reminder to like ( give a big'ol thumbs up)
He isn't from Guangzhou originally. Also, like Shenzhen, because there are so many people that come from the rest of China (futher afield than Guangdong province) living there Mandarin is common too.
I really liked this one, so interesting!
I love people who do what they love
Mandarin is the national common go to language in mainland China. As one of the largest city in China, it is totally ok for people to speak Mandarin in GuangZhou, even though the main language there is Cantonese. It is also possible this photographer grew up in a different part of China, therefore he might speak a different dialect. I personally grew up in GuangZhou so you can take my word for it :)
Very nice Vice.
hyper-reality is such an interesting subject since we are in the post modern condition. very nice vice very nice. jean baudrillard is such an interesting philosopher and his book simulacra and simulation looks to be a great read
Really weird coincidence, was talking to a few friends about display cosplay earlier this week. So weird, it's like one of those things you keep hearing about throughout the week constantly.
Man, Guangzhou's buildings are seriously sim city like, weird, but so cool. this was a great documentary.
You are correct, Cantonese is the most common dialect in Guangzhou but Mandarin is also widley used. You will find in China many people who use Cantonese can understand and communicate in both (and vice versa)
Awesome to see a opinion on how the Chinese look at this view. Thanks for that.
I cant believe this guys isn't shooting digital.
This guy is a genius! incredibly intelligent art!
Like he said at the beginning, people come form all over China to Guangzhou and since most of China speak Mandarin obviously the majority dialect is Mandarin, and then you apply probability so its not a surprise he speaks mandarin. And Guangzhou is orignally a mixture of dialects and you'll even find ppl speaking dialects thats part mandarin and cantonese.
nice. but, let me know this though. in what year was tibet a country? 800-AD?
amazing vice
wow that last picture was amazing hyper-reality at its best
He's right, it would be like documenting the industrial revolution. What he's doing is probably going to be very important to Chinese history one day...
Guangzhou is a big hub city in the south and a lot of people from other provinces go to the city for work/school/etc. He said he went for university in 1993, so chances are he is from another province where Cantonese is not spoken.
Vice is there anyway you guys can find out what model camera Zeng Han uses?
They are allowed a filtered version.
I would like to see some night shots :D. very interesting and beautiful images.
I enjoy this guys awareness.
Excellent!
This guy is quite amazing
ma hometown guangzhou . love it
Vice, thanks for showing me the world for what it really is
This channel is awesome. And if I watch how you make sweater out of dog hair this means something.
This guy is cool! Very interesting video.
1. He might not be from the area
2. It's more widely spoken and understood around the world (universities only teach Mandarin)
3. 我不知道
this is great!
also he could be from another part of china that has mandarin as its main spoken language
he moved there for college in 93, probably speaking his native tongue.
8:25 --its just so stereotypical and it feels like a random location for ping pong training so its even funnier... :)
what kind of camera is he using?
put this into perspective
European Union 700 million people : 15trillion Economy
China 1500 million people : 5 trillion Economy
How is China going to dominate this century again?
I loved this
Primary reason, as mentioned at the start, he went to GZ in 1993 to study and so isn't a native from the area. He probably has picked up Cantonese, though unlikely fluent as I'm sure his GZ friends speak to him in Mandarin as Cantonese is not as understood in other parts of China. I find those that do understand Cantonese; studied abroad (had HK friends) or simply... liked watching TVB (HK dramas).
can't help but notice he has a steel double door, what an open city this is...
how do you convert the large format to a digital file? Highres scan?
That's kind of like saying: "Why's he speaking English instead of French in Quebec?" Except in this case, Mandarin is actually the official language of the area and if he went to school there he'd be taught in Mandarin.
feel better now dude
Good point. Some people don't like the though of eating dogs and cats because they view them as pets. It's a psychological thing. Pets are extensions of people's families, so it would be like eating a family member. This becomes part of the culture and extends to people who have never or will never own pets.
What camera is that?
I believe it's part of Mao's efforts to standardised language to mandarin spoke throughout China. Thus, dialects like cantonese are less spoken, especially the younger people. Sorry for my bad english.
lol the door means nothing a lot of apartment buildings and homes have those in asia, hong kong, singapore, taipei. its just a cultural thing / extra precaution even though these places are pretty safe and "open"...
New York looks like 1960. Hong Kong looks like 2050.
Yes another one! I don't like editing my photos either, always want to keep a "pure" copy XD.
what does 'grantee' mean?
because everyone with a basic primary education in China understand mandarin? Cantonese is a mere dialect and mandarin is more formal to the audience. Interesting note: not that many people speak Cantonese, "Wu - Shanghai and surrounding provinces" is the most spoken regional dialect in China.
Quite a large population of Guangzhou speak both!
is he working for vice?
very nice work he has, yes sir
simple economics,its easier and cheaper to raise a litter of dogs over a cow.a breeding pair of dogs can give you 10-20 dogs a year.one bull and one cow will give you one or two cows a year.if you spice up the meat,it taste just like beef.
i use to eat at a chinese resaurant that was shut down by the health department for having skinned dogs hanging in the back room.tasted just like beef.
Yes, China's economy is slightly slowing down. But what you don't see is that China's growth is still booming relative to the global economy. So China's reduction in economic growth is insignificant compared to what's happening in europe, etc.
name of the intro music?
I was thinking the exact same thing...
What song is that looping in the intro?
that's always been the thing in china, every home has a double door no matter what
please tell me the name of the song to the guitar playing in the beginning.
never seen so many positive comments in a video about China. i remember barely 5 years ago, most of the comments would just be "F*ck communism " or something very negative and ignorant. It's nice to see that people are more open minded and less ignorant.
i think this could go along the same theme and ideology as zeitgeist. what do you guys think ?
It happens in every country that is going through industrial revolution, remember the great fog of London in the 50s?
Have you been to Guangzhous in the last 5 years? Northerners have migrate there in the millions. They practically drowning out the Cantonese. You basically need to speak Mandarin to do anything in Guangzhou these day.
"Everything happening in China now is like the game Sim City." hah..wonderful line, I really like this guy.
It was almost 10 years ago. Now what?
Hmmm is this guy from the future? "I came here for college in 1993, and I've stayed in this city for over twenty years."
let`s hope they will bring a lot of good things to the world and the human family
I thought your paragraph would end with, "He is the most interesting man in the world" -XX
Oh wait. The guy came to Guanzhou for college. He's not from the area.
Many things that are extremely normal in the States are considered barbarian in other cultures too. (I saying this does not mean I consider those things "barbarian"; I just mean to say that you should not judge other people's behavior simply by your culture. And of course, the Ameircan culture is so predominated that you have the power to turn other cultures closer to yours, through e.g. holywood movies etc.)
Does anyone know whatmkind of camera that is
oh ok, that does make sense, cheers
It is ok...
Cantonese and Mandarin are not that much different. Mandarin is the standard way of pronounciation, and all Chinese dialects like Cantonese have the same writing system. To use an analogy, it is kind of like people who speak Portuguese can at least understand Spanish if not speaking it fluently. The fact is just about everybody in Guangzhou can speak Mandarin and it is(I think) more widely spoken than Cantonese.
yup.
European Union is not a country or unified as the term suggests. Not to mention most of the EU is on Germany's back. Also, economy adjusted for purchasing power parity, China is much closer to the US. China may not dominate the century, but as long as it remains politically stable and the government continues to support economic activity, China very influential economically and culturally.
Interesting point.
i was born and raised in Austria
so i can say
besides the smog in the city in china where my family comes from.. i think its quite comfortable there .. i wouldnt mind staying there... :> the living quality is actually quite good... i can get everything there & more :D but sadly only for the normal and upper class people.. :/
and besides that... the service those people give are excellent ... at least they greet you when you enter their shop ... slice of that wouldnt be bad for europeans...
You betcha!
This may be harsh of me but why the fuck not? So because he is currently located in a specific country he can't speak any other language? What difference does it make what language he happens to speak?
Not that I'm familiar with China, but it doesn't seem that strange to me.
He wasn't born in Guangzhou, he studied there and then decided to live there.
Higher education is probably all Mandarin in China, and especially if you want to become a journalist I bet your Mandarin has to be flawless.
And perhaps the interviewer doesn't speak Cantonese... :)
True, but with the shear number of chinese people, there will always be an availability of workers who will work (willingly or not) for their government
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