Day 1 Shanghai → Dingjiaqiao Town → Chaji Ancient Village
All day
From 7:00 to 7:30 AM, everyone gathered downstairs at the Mingshen Center Building to sign in and depart. Along the way, the instructor introduced the activities and team members, and there were interactive games, filling the air with laughter and joy...
We grabbed lunch at the service area and arrived in Jingxian around 2:00 PM. We then headed to the Houshan Scissors Workshop. The craft of making Houshan scissors dates back to the late Song Dynasty and is known as the "World's Best Scissors." Through a series of processes, including material selection, steel pressing, forging, and quenching, the raw iron is forged into scissors. The forging process, captured at a shutter speed of 1/30 second, is truly breathtaking!
After the photoshoot, we went to Chaji Ancient Village to stay. In the evening, everyone was free to take photos of the charming night view of Chaji and exchange their photography experiences.
Day 2 Chaji Ancient Village → Xuan Paper Factory → Jing County
All day
After breakfast, we'll head to the Chaji Blacksmith Shop to photograph the craft of ironwork. Decades ago, blacksmith shops were ubiquitous in rural China, and the clanging sound of blacksmiths hammering their anvils was a constant. With the advent of agricultural machinery, the figures of blacksmiths have become increasingly distant. Afterwards, we'll have some free time to photograph the ancient village of Chaji.
Upon first encountering Chaji, we're struck by its antiquity and rich history. Women beat clothes by the stream, elderly men bask in the sun by their doors, and students sketching by the riverbank, imagining the beautiful scenery. Time seems to slow down, compelling us to capture it all with our cameras. As an ancient poem goes, "Ten miles of Cha Village are shrouded in smoke, nine miles below; three streams converge among thousands of households; under the shadows of temples, pavilions, and pagodas, small bridges flow through the water, apricot blossoms bloom." The villagers here are all surnamed Cha, and the village is home to numerous folk artists. Explore the village for yourself, or climb to a higher vantage point for panoramic views of the village.
After lunch in Zhaji, we headed to the Jingxian Xuan Paper Factory to photograph the Xuan paper production process. The production process can be roughly divided into eighteen steps, but if broken down further, the number can exceed one hundred. The steps of scooping and folding the paper are the easiest for photographers to capture. (Photographing human nature is a test not only of photographic skill but also of captioning. The casual conversations we have with our subjects during the shoot can be crucial to the final interpretation of the photograph.)
After the shooting, we went to Jingxian Hotel to check in.
Day 3 Jing County → Qinxi Town → Shanghai
All day
After breakfast, we headed to the Oilcloth Umbrella Factory in Jing County to film the intangible cultural heritage and centuries-old craftsmanship of [Oilcloth Umbrella Making]. The entire process involves twelve steps. As the sun sets, the oilcloth umbrellas painted with yellow tung oil are vibrantly colored. It was a truly satisfying experience to fill up your memory card with photos here!
We've finished filming. We're back in Shanghai, reluctant to leave... Everyone's still feeling a bit overwhelmed, so we kiss goodbye with tears! Don't forget your homework!
