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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Greetings from Buddha and Mao in Changsha

I previously shared several recent scenes from an outdoor antique market in Changsha, Hunan province. Although much seemed the same, in one way my experience there was quite different from a visit last year. This time two different sellers asked me to take a photo of one their items for sale.

The first man held a statue of Buddha:

man holding a statue of Buddha

man with his items for sale at an outdoor antique market in Changsha


The second man held a colorized photograph of a young Mao Zedong, which according to several Chinese sites (here and here) was taken by American journalist Edgar Snow:

man holding a framed colorized photo of young Mao Zedong with the words "一九三六,毛主席在陕北", which translates to "Chairman Mao in Shanbei, 1936"



The men's requests were especially interesting for me, since for research purposes I'll sometimes ask people to hold a "special" item for a photograph. It's unusual for me, though, that the other person makes the request, even at a market. Whatever the men's motives may have been, I'll just say I appreciated their openness. And there's also something to be said about being "greeted" by both Buddha and Mao Zedong within a short timespan. Like the friendly sellers, it is not an experience at odds with Changsha's culture.

1 comment:

  1. Oh son, watch the illusory spectacle! All birth and death is projected by delusion, not existing in reality. I am beyond coming and going. Loving your blog!
    -----------------------
    successor Kirpal Singh

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