Teacher Dai Hongying carries her 4 months old daughter on her back to work and leaves another daughter of two at home, April, 1987. [China.org.cn]

Photographer:

Xie Hailong is vice secretary-general of the China Photographers Association (CPA) and director general of the Images Copyright Society of China. He is also a councilor of China Youth Development Foundation and executive member of the council of the Candle Project of China Charity Foundation. His photos on the Hope Project in China were exhibited in Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong in 1992. He was awarded a special contribution prize in 1996 and special honor prize in 1997 by the CPA. He held a personal exhibition:"I Want to Go to School" in 798 Photo Gallery in 2004.

 

For many years after 1949 Chinese photography served mainly as a tool for political propaganda. The subjects of early documentary photography were a phenomenon that would not have any official existence for many years to come. The photographers conducted lengthy and extensive research and interviews to shine a light into the oldest and darkest corners of Chinese society. Thus this form of photography could not be acknowledged by authority. Xie Hailong's "Hope Project" drew people's attention to the needs of tens of thousands of children living in poor areas and gained unanimous acceptance. No one should criticize documentary photography for its political flaws. This work protected and promoted the development of documentary photography in China to a significant extent. (Curator: Zeng Huang)