Rural aesthetics: dancing light and shadow, exploring the beauty of change

"Without reform and opening up, there would be no photography in Pengpu Town, let alone the opportunity to freeze these unforgettable moments." This is the feeling of Li Weimin, president of the Pengpu Town Photography Association. Walking into the "Pengpu International Photography Center", a light and shadow corridor of more than 40 years passes through the history of urban and rural changes, recording the story of social development. In the lens, there are hard work in the countryside and prosperous pictures of the city. These photos have become vivid material for telling China's story. In the early days of reform and opening up, Pengpu, a suburb of Shanghai, was the hometown of vegetables and flowers, and it was also one of the first "100 million yuan townships". Li Weimin, as a propagandist at the cultural station, used the only seagull camera to take photos that reflected the image of the new countryside. Although he had never been exposed to photography before, he improved his skills by listening to lectures and continuing his education. Under his leadership, more and more villagers pursued modern cultural life, including 20 peasants learning photography. Photography has become a culture in Pengpu Town, recording a variety of life scenes. However, with the rise of digital cameras and smartphones, the "click" sound is no longer the most pleasant "music" in town. In this era, how to continue to develop the photography culture of Pengpu Town?

Perhaps, more beautiful works can be shared with a wider audience through social media or online platforms. Or, bring photography into school and pass on the culture by training the next generation of photographers. The cultural signboard of Pengpu Town will continue to shine as a result. In the era of digital photography, the technical threshold of photography has been greatly reduced, and the "technique" of photography has changed. However, the "Tao" of photography has not changed, that is, the innovative ideas, rich imagination and abundant emotions in the works. These elements give Pengpu Town's photographic art vitality and permanence. Over the past 40 years, Pengpu Town has made friends and friends through photography, and has hosted various photography exhibitions, competitions, trainings and art festivals. Every year and even every month, photography exhibitions with different themes are held. For example, the "Times Are Beautiful Because of You" theme exhibition showcased strivers from all walks of life, while the "Hand in Hand" theme exhibition showcased the deep friendship between Shanghai and its counterparts. These exhibitions not only show the charm of light and shadow, but also make Pengpu Town an art center that gathers famous photographers and photography enthusiasts from home and abroad. Here, new technologies, trends and ideas converge.

Walking out of the exhibition hall and strolling through the streets, you will find the "furniture" decorated with various photographic elements to attract people's attention. The stools in the park have a unique shape, and the backrest becomes a "window" for displaying photographic works; On the theme exhibition wall in the community, interactive installations with hidden photography knowledge are designed; On the exhibition shelves at the corner of the park, classic works from previous photography art festivals are displayed... In the "Light and Shadow Heritage Neighborhood Point" Happiness New Garden, works taken by residents and designs with photographic elements can be seen everywhere. These are all part of Pengpu Town's "Light and Shadow" photography-themed urban furniture project. The plan aims to enrich the "texture" and "expression" of the surrounding environment through careful design. These humanistic and artistic public spaces reflect the love of life and unique world view of Pengpu residents. The details of life flow quietly in the lens, the mountains and rivers of the motherland are in full view, and the wonders of the world are close at hand. As a professional photojournalist, Xu Yuexin started holding a photography public welfare class in Pengpu Town 9 years ago. He marveled at the active participation of the masses here, "In other places, free training courses do not attract people, but here it is difficult to find training courses."

"Pengpu Town has become a paradise for photography lovers with its rich and diverse photography activities and unique photography culture, leading the development of photography art. Question: What impact do you think the photographic elements of public spaces in the community have on the residents of the community? Please share your views and experiences. In recent years, the photography public welfare courses in Pengpu Town have been newly expanded, including drone photography, mobile phone photography, short video shooting, etc. These innovations have allowed Pengpu Town's photographic culture to be preserved and maintained with enduring charm. Xu Yuexin believes that this is also one of the reasons why photography in Pengpu Town has endured. Starting from 2021, Pengpu Town began to create a "10-minute folk photography cultural activity circle". They have set up campus photography training bases in 12 schools in the town to educate children about photography knowledge and basic skills. In the industrial park, they set up a photography culture salon base to attract young people to create and communicate. In 36 residential areas, they have set up comprehensive cultural venues and galleries dedicated to photographic works. Through these initiatives, the art of photography is brought to schools, campuses, and communities, providing a platform for diverse groups to showcase and communicate. The photography team in Pengpu Town is also growing.

From the initial peasant photography team, it has developed into ten teams, including the "Sunshine" photography team composed of 28 disabled people, the "Click" photography team composed of parents and teenagers, and the "Youth Federation Chasing Light" photography team composed of white-collar workers. Different groups can discover the joy and nourishment of creation in the rich photographic culture soil of Pengpu Town. "Photography is the language of communication for the residents of Pengpu Town. We always get pleasure from photography, and every good photo can make life taste for a long time. This is the personal experience of Zheng Hua, a post-80s member of the Pengpu Town Photography Association. He has worked and lived here for more than 10 years, and this year he went to Bachu, Xinjiang to carry out volunteer teaching activities, and will also add new photos to the "photo album" in Pengpu Town. When facing the beautiful Xinjiang with strong colors, he pays attention to capturing the purity and simplicity of the characters, and names the children's enthusiasm and innocence and simplicity as "no one can be less". Photography is not only an art form, but also an important carrier for the residents of Pengpu Town to inherit culture. Since 2016, Chen Haiya, secretary general of the Pengpu Town Photography Association, has traveled 90,000 kilometers to more than 700 villages in 19 provinces and photographed more than 1,000 ancestral halls.

He even turned his home into a small "ancestral hall library", using photography to record and inherit the culture of Pengpu Town. Through these efforts, the photographic culture of Pengpu Town has not only been inherited and developed, but also provided a platform for residents to display their talents and communicate. Whether young or old, disabled or white-collar, they are able to find their interests and fun in photography and communicate and dialogue with others through photography. The road of photography in Pengpu Town still has a long way to go. How to get more people involved in photography culture? How to make the photographic works better convey the unique charm of Pengpu Town? Welcome to leave a message to discuss. The photographer started from the countryside, but always maintained a love and attention to the local area. She grew up as a shirt factory worker, but her photography shows the roots and emotions of the country. She knows that as a photographer, she has the responsibility to inherit the local culture and record the stories of this land with the lens in her hand. To achieve this goal, she held a peasant photography exhibition, showcasing many works taken by farmers. She also published Selected Photographs of Peasants to present these works to more people.

She also strives to cultivate a folk photography team, so that more rural photographers can go abroad and hold photography exhibitions abroad. As a result of these efforts, more than 1,000 works taken by residents of Pengpu Town were selected in large-scale photography exhibitions, and more than 200 works won awards in various exhibition competitions. A photography culture brand with Pengpu characteristics has gradually formed. The photographer said that the reason why Pengpuzhen's photographs are vibrant and infectious is that photographers are full of enthusiasm for life, yearning for art, and resonating with the times. These emotions and passions are incorporated into their work, making it alive and bright. What is the success of Pengpuzhen photography? It is the photographers' inheritance and attention to local culture, and their love and understanding of life. They record the beauty and stories of the countryside with their lenses, so that more people can understand and know the countryside. Their works are infectious and alive, making people feel the charm and power of the countryside. Question guide: What do you think is the unique charm and significance of the inheritance and expression of local culture in photography? Please share your thoughts and opinions.