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China Portrait of a People Tom Carter 9789889979942 Books

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China Portrait of a People Tom Carter 9789889979942 Books

Tom Carter's photography book CHINA: Portrait of a People (second printing 2013, Blacksmith Books) is a remarkable photo-essay of China today, broad in scope and comprehensive of subject. Even when contrasted with the work of his predecessors, discussed below, there is something more about this book: a remarkable depth of insight, understanding, and feeling that Carter (1973-), an indigent wanderer from San Francisco, acquired for a people whose language he knew only slightly at the time he took the photos. Anyone able to overcome barriers to communication without knowing the language is an extraordinary person.

Of the 100+ reviews on Amazon already posted, many readers regard Carter's Portrait as a surprising view into a "rapidly disappearing" China as the country dynamically thrusts forward into the new millennia. However, as the photos of John Thompson, Felice Beato, and other photographers of the 19th century are my point of departure, their work compared to Portrait illustrates substantially greater changes in China than any since 1949. Memory of more recent changes seems concentrated in metropolitan areas and along the coastlands rather than in the hinterland traipsed by Carter; perhaps such changes appear weighty because of a foreshortened time scale and accelerated development.

It is unusual for a book to be a revelation for such a broad spectrum of readers as CHINA, Portrait of a People has been: besides travelers who have never been to China, and expat residents proud of their knowledge of the country yet unfamiliar with the greater landscape, the book has revealed to native Chinese much of their own country they knew little about. The book expands boundaries, reveals "undiscovered countries," and is likely to rouse from their indifference to China almost anyone who looks through these photos.

Carter's Portrait shows that "China is not just one place, one people, but 33 distinct regions populated by 56 different ethnicities, each with their own languages, customs and lifestyles." We are told that the author backpacked 56,000 miles and visited over 200 cities and villages to gather material for this book, suffering privation, discomfort, and disease to complete this essay. The final result obviously made every step of his journey worthwhile.

This review is continued at the Old China Books book blog - blog.oldchinabooks.com

CHINA: Portrait of a People


Tags : China: Portrait of a People [Tom Carter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>From the subtropical jungles of Yunnan to the frozen wastes of Heilongjiang; across the scalding deserts of Xinjiang and beneath Hong Kong's neon blur.  Tramping through China by train,Tom Carter,China: Portrait of a People,Blacksmith Books,9889979942,Asia - China,China;Description and travel;Photographs.,China;Social life and customs;Photographs.,Portraits, Chinese;China.,China,Cultural studies,Ethnology,History,History Asia China,History: World,PHOTOGRAPHY Subjects & Themes Regional (see also TRAVEL Pictorials),Photographs,Photography Subjects & Themes Regional,Photography: Subjects & Themes Regional,Portraits, Chinese,Subjects & Themes - Travel - General,Travel - General

China Portrait of a People Tom Carter 9789889979942 Books Reviews

Very interesting and very worthwhile portrait book of China and its people. I first saw this book in my library and enjoyed it so much I had to get a copy for my home. The book is smallish length and width wise but thick and sturdily bound. Inside are short essays on the people of each province of China accompanied by a profusion of full color photos of the people the author met while traveling in that particular province. What is so captivating is the intimate connection the author was so often able to make with the people he met and photographed. As a result of his people skills we are able to experience these people as they live in such a faraway portion of our world. It is a book that I have reviewed again and again.
I was drawn to Tom Carter's work after reading an list description he'd written that indicated a deeper understanding of Asian culture and society. I was compelled to buy this book after seeing that, unlike the coffee table books with sweeping views of rice paddies and mist-covered mountains, China Portrait of a People focuses on a close-up and intimate look at the many cultures and ethnicities across all of China.

Carter traveled through 33 provinces and documented his journey with incredible one-of-a-kind photos of the young, the old, city folk, and rural villagers. I spent hours flipping through the pictures. They are not all pretty -- there are startling images of poverty and hardship. The gap between the standard of living in different areas of the country can be clearly seen. Yet there is a raw beauty to it all through the unfiltered lens of Carter's camera.

The pictures show people living their everyday lives. You see them in the streets, by the rivers, in nightclubs and in temples. We get to peek into the myriad of encounters big and small that must make up such a journey. The resounding message is that the Chinese people are a vast mix of distinct cultures and histories and China is a world onto itself. I have already revisited the book several times. The images are ones that stay with you and I feel privileged to experience this incredible adventure vicariously through Tom Carter's eyes.

--Jeannie Lin, author of "Butterfly Swords (Harlequin Historical)"
Tom Carter's photography book CHINA Portrait of a People (second printing 2013, Blacksmith Books) is a remarkable photo-essay of China today, broad in scope and comprehensive of subject. Even when contrasted with the work of his predecessors, discussed below, there is something more about this book a remarkable depth of insight, understanding, and feeling that Carter (1973-), an indigent wanderer from San Francisco, acquired for a people whose language he knew only slightly at the time he took the photos. Anyone able to overcome barriers to communication without knowing the language is an extraordinary person.

Of the 100+ reviews on already posted, many readers regard Carter's Portrait as a surprising view into a "rapidly disappearing" China as the country dynamically thrusts forward into the new millennia. However, as the photos of John Thompson, Felice Beato, and other photographers of the 19th century are my point of departure, their work compared to Portrait illustrates substantially greater changes in China than any since 1949. Memory of more recent changes seems concentrated in metropolitan areas and along the coastlands rather than in the hinterland traipsed by Carter; perhaps such changes appear weighty because of a foreshortened time scale and accelerated development.

It is unusual for a book to be a revelation for such a broad spectrum of readers as CHINA, Portrait of a People has been besides travelers who have never been to China, and expat residents proud of their knowledge of the country yet unfamiliar with the greater landscape, the book has revealed to native Chinese much of their own country they knew little about. The book expands boundaries, reveals "undiscovered countries," and is likely to rouse from their indifference to China almost anyone who looks through these photos.

Carter's Portrait shows that "China is not just one place, one people, but 33 distinct regions populated by 56 different ethnicities, each with their own languages, customs and lifestyles." We are told that the author backpacked 56,000 miles and visited over 200 cities and villages to gather material for this book, suffering privation, discomfort, and disease to complete this essay. The final result obviously made every step of his journey worthwhile.

This review is continued at the Old China Books book blog - blog.oldchinabooks.com

CHINA Portrait of a People