M. Scott Brauer: ‘We Chinese’

First off, some disclosure. M. Scott Brauer is a close friend, but I have a lot of friends who produce stuff and it’s never a prerequisite for promotion.

I enjoy this project.

‘We Chinese‘ is several things. It is part break-up/part love-letter for Scott after relocating back to the States after years spent in China. It is a project to hum in the back of our minds whenever we think – or talk – about photography in China today. A nation of 1 billion can never be summed up by a single image or series, but good photography can provide firm foundations for thought.

Scott asked each subject two standard questions. The responses “range from prosaic to poetic, from rote to inspired, and from unemotional to patriotic.”

My favourite response is that of Wangbaoning, aged 20, who is unemployed but works for free as a building security officer. As compared to his assured fellow countrymen and women, his second answer is decidedly undecided.

What does China mean to you?: It stands for a unified China at this stage realizing hopes to be the master of its own affairs into the future.

What is your role in China’s future?: I haven’t really thought about it at this point, we’ll see, depends on motivation.

Have a mosey.

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M. Scott Brauer’s Best Photographs of 2010