Preface
by Chen Xiaoqi
In the past 30 years, Yan Xinfa has walked through villages one after another in Henan Province, which he considers as his area, and has never stepped out of it. Sticking to the villages in central China, he developed his own vision, found his spiritual home and established his unique photographic style.
With a calm attitude, Yan Xinfa has been focusing on common people’s life in villages of central China. In his works, there is neither overwhelming sensations nor dramatic visual impact but records of ordinary scenes and life in the countryside which, in his eyes, contains the nation’s roots and historical inheritance. And thus he indulges himself in it. In the visual sense, the images of the countryside for him are cultural specimen and in sense of subject matter, are his wonderlands. As a result, we can feel in his lively photos the settling of times and cultural development. We can also detect the emotions of the land, nation, culture and history from the gentle and unadorned folk ethos, which make us feel at home.
Yan Xinfa is sincere and mild and not demanding. His photographic work is as calm and simple as villagers’ daily life. What’s more, he is persistent and earnest. In the past 30 years, he has been working alone and has never diverted his direction once the destination was settled. The simple and natural images reflect his attitude and character as much as his artistic style. These photos of central China unfold the reality of his life as a photographer and portrait his stance as a man who holds onto this land.
