Page 71 - NOMADS_NO5

We were the only white people out there on the beach. People would ask, “Why are you here, why are you taking their picture?” It’s China, so if you talk to one person, then the other one next to you stops. There is no privacy or personal space. There were always ten people pretty much leaning on my shoulder, while I was trying to have a conversation with a woman.They were asking me, “What are you doing here, where are you coming from?” The men especially want to know what’s going on, they would say, “Are you asking her for money, are you paying her, maybe you should give her some money?” I was like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Everybody calm down.” That’s China, and they would all have a laugh and start wandering off. Then you may have the woman you want to photograph, for maybe three minutes alone, so you better take that picture before her friend walks by, and she says, “Oh bye bye. I’m leaving now”.The Pow-Pows were really cool and would stand there to take the picture. Everybody would give me the peace sign. Then most of them would sort of imitate old school Chinese opera stars, and the opera style where they wear the costumes and the shows are four hours long. I had never seen anything like that and thought it was totally amazing.68