I only shoot ordinary people, and ordinary people are everyone
——
Hiroji Kubota
Many people have the habit of turning over old photos, and will look back on the era that has been yellowed in their memories through thin photo paper. Take a look at Japanese photographer Hiroji Kubota's use of color images to capture China in the 80s.
Not the same 80s
Before seeing these series of photos, my impression of the 80s was embarrassing, progressive, and upward, and after seeing it, I realized that that era could also be bland, alternating between the old and the new.
In 79, the hard sleep in the Jiangnan area looked like a venue for academic and life exchanges, and sure enough, the literary and artistic taste of that era was impressive!
In Shanghai in the 80s, the summer in the south was humid and stuffy, and the room was small and breathless.
People who come and go will also take a look at it, and occasionally tease, the scene of childhood!
Guilin's fishermen take their trained cormorants to fish, and the morning light is faint, the mist on the river has not yet dissipated, and the light emitted by the oil lamps is like the finishing touch of an ink painting.
In addition to the fishermen, the farmers of Guilin Gaotian also take their ploughing cattle to the rice fields at dawn, and it is also a moment of enjoyment to walk on the road in the morning glow in April!
In Harbin in the 80s, you can still see buildings with Russian style in the background of the photo.
Winter in the Northeast has always been a legend, with temperatures of about minus 30°, and the pork is frozen like wood! In the same way, you can freeze your pants, freeze your clothes, and so on!
In 82 years, Guangdong's morning "standard process": walking birds, eating morning tea, and chatting about homely things.
It is no wonder that Cantonese morning tea attracts countless gluttons, enjoying the food leisurely with the people around them, and feeling what a happy life is from the morning!
In 83 years of Hangzhou, the ancient folk customs still exist in life, every Qingming, the older generation of people will go to the temple to pray for the souls of their ancestors, light red candles, burn paper money, fold their hands and close their eyes to recite silently; In opposition to this pious ritual is the incomprehension and ridicule of young people.
In a period of alternation between the old and the new, the contradiction between the two cultures has an indescribable sense of age.
In Shanghai in 1985, Nanjing Road was the main commercial street surrounded by shops. At that time, it was equivalent to Ginza in Japan and the Champs-Elysées in Paris, which was usually bustling, and if it happened to be a holiday such as the Spring Festival and National Day, the flow of people was even more considerable!
Judging from the photos, it can be comparable to the current status quo of holiday attractions, but the costumes are not so uniform!
He waited years to photograph China
The photographer who took the photo was named Hiroji Kubota. From 1979 to 1984, he visited China dozens of times, during which time he took nearly 200,000 photos!
However, the opportunity to shoot China is also something he has been waiting for for a long time!
Once, Hiroji Kubota had the opportunity to get acquainted with Mr. Koichi Saionji, and in the process of work, he mentioned the idea of wanting to go to China, and Mr. Saionji said that he would help him if he had the opportunity.
But after a long time, he was not contacted, and Mr. Kubota thought that it was no fun!
It wasn't until around September 1972, when diplomatic relations between China and Japan had been normalized, that Mr. Kubota received a call from Mr. Saionji asking if he still wanted to come to China.
Mr. Hiroji Kubota: Absolutely!
When the director of the Xinhua News Agency Photography Bureau asked him what kind of photos he wanted to take, Mr. Kubota replied: "All provinces!"
During that time, he went to Jiamusi, the coldest and the hottest Turpan, and Mr. Kubota once said that the 80s was a special period in modern Chinese history, an era full of purity and curiosity.
"At that time, people had positive and beautiful expressions, and even though they were engaged in hard work, they still maintained a positive attitude."
If you look at the photos, you can feel that Mr. Kubota's stance and attitude at that time must have been very friendly, which is why there is such a bland but straightforward work!
Under his lens, you can see where China is changing; You can also see some things that haven't changed.
During the filming, there was also a joke.
From the autumn of 1980 to the spring of '81, Mr. Kubota took two aerial photographs of Guilin, and also held a large-scale exhibition at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, which was a sensation at the time! Immediately after that, there were rumors that Mr. Kubota was a gentleman who married a rich Japanese woman!
According to those who followed him, Mr. Kubota used countless rolls of film for aerial photography, and taking pictures was like a machine gun with a motor!
This had a lot of negative impact at the time, and I later learned that it was just a false rumor, just a way and habit of professional photography! This is probably "the pot comes from the sky"!
Hiroji Kubota: Because there's no way back
Mr. Kubota is one of Magnum's most prolific photographers! He was also asked what was the secret of high production?
"I know that if I stop, there is no future, I take pictures every day, and all I can tell people is to do it, and on my own," he said.
He graduated from the Department of Political Science at the University of Tokyo, and because of his excellent spoken English, he came into contact with four of Magnum's seniors, and it was at that time that he wanted to study abroad and become a photographer!
At that time, in Japan, people who could go abroad were all upper-class people, but Mr. Kubota happened to be not. The minimum cost of going abroad is also $500, which is equivalent to one family's salary for one year. In the end, he worked part-time and borrowed money from his parents to study in the United States.
In foreign countries, he was frugal in life, and even the photography technique was secretly learned when others were working, and he usually watched the works of some masters such as Bresson, and Mr. Kubota said that he learned a lot by relying on this!
Changing careers halfway, in the final analysis, is still a strong learning ability!
In an exclusive interview, he said that he never thought of giving up photography, even if his parents were against it, but when he made up his mind to do something, he would never look back if he didn't make an achievement, because there was no other way out!
Knowing that he studied politics, many people would call him a "documentary photographer" or "report photographer", but for Kubota, it doesn't make a difference, he is just a photographer who shoots everything he sees!
Just like he always believes, photography is a kind of transmission of beauty, so that photos have the power to sublimate the soul!
Looking at the photos taken by Mr. Kubota, the distance between the generations has been shortened.
Due to the limitations of technology and technology, the impressions of the 80s are more sealed in "yellowed" and blurred photographic paper. In that simple era, the memories of the past are quietly told through images.
It is also fortunate that so many photographers can preserve these fragments of time through their lenses, and become the inheritance of the era that can allow future generations to witness the "old time" of the past.
References:
1<见证者>. "Photographer Series Interviews: Interview with Magnum Japanese Photographer Hiroji Kubota" Tencent News
2, "Interview|Hiroji Kubota: Talent, I don't know if I have it; Effort, but it can be controlled by oneself
3. "[Meitu Appreciation] 7 Years, 45 Times, 1050 Days, He Recorded China's 80s with 200,000 Photos (Hiroji Kubota)" Jinmen.com
Images:
马格南网站:久保田博二 (Hiroji Kubota)《China》