An epitome of Chinese miracle

On Aug 26, the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, I participated in the "Shenzhen in 24 Hours", a photographer event that consisted of 11 teams recording the various aspects of life in Shenzhen in airports, subways, parks, markets, cultural venues and office buildings, in an attempt to render a comprehensive display of people's lives and the city feature.

With the camera in my hand, I recorded the prosperity and serenity of Shenzhen today. I was so excited that I was fortunate enough to witness the extraordinary 40 years of the special economic zone. What is even more commendable is that I used these lens to record her development.

Forty years ago, I came to Shenzhen with the forerunners of the special zone. In 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee decided to create four special economic zones including Shenzhen. The Chinese People's Liberation Army's Infrastructure Engineering Corps Headquarters decided to participate in the development and construction of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. As a result, they dispatched a regiment to go south to Shenzhen as an advance mission in the hope of making a good start.

I was the news reporter of this advance team. We moved into the "Bamboo Leaf Barrack", a name unique to Shenzhen, and devoted ourselves to the reporting task of the construction of the special zone in full swing. I always attached a camera bag on the backseat of my bike, so that I could take pictures wherever I had an interview. One year later, I submitted my stories to local newspapers and magazines with the pictures of the team's construction life in the special zone. This offered readers across the whole country an engrossing visual feast of Shenzhen perfect for the curious minds, and at the same time a more comprehensive and authentic narration of the special zone's construction achievements. I recorded the spectacular historical scenes of the engineers going south to Shenzhen. The photos were later collected by the Shenzhen Museum and the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, and saved as an important archive recording the historical process of China's reform and opening-up.

On Sept 15, 1983, my team was transferred from army duty to civilian work in Shenzhen collectively and became a Shenzhen construction company. Changing careers makes one feel worlds apart. All of our young and aspiring comrades faced a variety of choices in their lives, either engaging in business or becoming a construction worker. At that time, Shenzhen's industry was so prosperous that there were many job opportunities enough to make a fortune. Where shall I go? If photography was a job requirement, at that life-changing moment I believed that photography is my lingering ambition, so I decided to continue working in photography. In 1984, I chose to go to Shenzhen Television and became a photojournalist. I wanted to use my camera to record the great era that Shenzhen has been embracing, to express my awe and gratitude toward the pioneers of Shenzhen and the spirit of the people who have rewritten history.

In 1984, I created the work Rising, which won a gold medal in the 13th National Photographic Art Exhibition and received many acclaims. Many newspapers and photography magazines also conducted a multi-angle and all-round review of my work. In one of the photos, Zou Hongtao stands steadily between the platform and the two floors. His body movement revealed a serious, rigorous man confident to command, which vividly interpreted the pioneering and innovative spirit of the people. Zou is a site safety officer and crane commander I am familiar with. He was directing the crane on the first floor, and I waited for him to finish the work. The sun shone on his blue vest, red hat and his robust tendons from above the building. While he stretched his arms and blew the whistle, the towers on both sides rose slowly, highlighting the lofty sentiment and heroism of the construction workers. I immediately pressed the shutter decisively, and the work Rising was thus born.

The camera has always accompanied me on the promising land of Shenzhen. I do my duty as a professional photographer, recording its vicissitude.