Focusing on the overlooked

• Source: Global Times
• [11:22 April 30 2010]
• Comments

A worker dozes outside the China Pavilion on May 1, 2009, a year to the day before the opening of World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Photos: Courtesy of Chen Hui

By Du Qiongfang

Chen Hui didn't notice the blood streaming down his face when he arrived home one evening after photographing the construction of the Expo Park.

The 44-year-old amateur photographer had been so focused on the workers that didn't notice a steel tube jutting out of a pile of construction materials as he rushed past to get a shot, opening a gash on his cheek.

Over the past two years, Chen has slipped into the Expo site more than 50 times and has taken more than 20,000 photos of the workers who helped build the park.

Chen said that he spent a lot of time with the workers, sharing meals and listening to them talk about their lives. These conversations were what drove Chen to record the workers' contributions to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

For the workers

Unlike the professional photographers and photojournalists, who have focused on the construction of the pavilions, Chen was more interested in the workers.

"Once the workers finish at the Expo site, they will move on to another job. Perhaps they will never have the opportunity to come back to this place again," Chen told the Global Times. "I wanted to take the photos to help them remember their experiences at the Expo Park and the tears and laughter they left behind."

Chen's pictures have not only moved those who have seen them, but the workers as well. An exhibition of his photographs is currently on display at Jing'an Cultural Center until May 3.

The magnificent pavilions were conceived by some great designers, but buildings aren't finished when the final blueprint is drafted.

They are built with bricks by the construction workers, said Hou Shiyong, one of the workers that Chen photographed.

"I hope visitors will not only see the beauty of the pavilions, but also realize our contribution," Hou told the Global Times. "I appreciate that Mr Chen is spreading our story to the world and helping us, the lowest class of the society, get recognized for our contribution."

Chen's interest in the workers is a result of the poverty of his own childhood. It is something that he thinks the younger generation will have trouble relating to, he said. However, he believes his contemporaries, who know what it is like to struggle, will empathize with these workers.

"Even though many of them are very rich now, they can still understand the hardships these workers face."