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CULTURALLY SPEAKING

Local knowledge provides a foundation for global understanding. National Geographic photojournalist Michael Yamashita has covered two Chinas. His series on Marco Polo captured a traditional land where centuries-old wonders still remain. But he also documents the China of today, a culture transforming almost more rapidly than his shutter speed.

“I brought my camera to the end of the world. That’s what the Chinese call this spot, the southernmost point of China. To me, this image really crystallizes the sense of old and new in China today. There’s the figure of the old traditional fisherman in contrast with the woman in the bright yellow dress – a color you wouldn’t have seen here even 20 years ago. There’s still a great belief in ancestors and family – that’s the foundation on which China is built. But now it’s flooded with cars, cell phones, a space program, they just can’t get enough of anything new. Almost overnight, China has gone from a culture of farmers and fisherman to one based on trade and manufacturing. Along with these changes comes a change in people’s outlook. There’s a new confidence, a sense of destiny, and such an incredible thirst for knowledge.”

(National Geographic / May 2004.v 205, nº 5)

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