Documenting the Conflict and Integration of Lingnan Culture

by Gong Haiying

Since 2006， professional Chinese photographer Er Dongchen has traveled to more than 30 regions in Guangdong Province to take millions of photos of villages， the architecture， people， food， and plants in the Lingnan region. He continuously polished and refined these materials to design many original creative products with Lingnan cultural elements to put the spotlight on Lingnan culture.

Er Dongchen was originally named Chen Minghui. He took on the new name to express insignificance as an individual. In 2002， 21-year-old Er arrived in Guangzhou alone. His initial impression of the place was“down to earth， tolerant and full of vitality.” As he traversed Guangdong， he gradually started feeling its “magic.” “In the villages， the shape of every building and every element of local folklore is profound，” he said.“There is no end to the knowledge to be gained here. You are learning the entire time.”

Located along Chinas southern border， the Lingnan region has many unique folk cultures that formed over thousands of years. Although Guangdong served as the frontier of Chinas reform and opening up and technological development， these ancient customs continue to endure. Among others， the annual dragon boat racing remains a quintessential traditional folk event in Lingnan.

Er said the Guangdong dragon boat racing ritual starts on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month， continuing until the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Over the years， he has continued to study dragon boat folklore while photographing various dragon boat races in different places such as Guangzhou and Nanhai in Foshan. He was most impressed by a dragon boat in Shipai Village， Tianhe District， Guangzhou. Due to the advancement of urbanization， villagers have no place to store the dragon boats for the rest of the year， so they have to store them in nearby villages and row them along the Pearl River estuary into town during the events.

“Following the traditional route， I sat on a dragon boat in Huangpu Shuanggang Village，”recalled Er. “As the dragon boat floated away from the village， I saw a large shipyard. Many people were cleaning the dragon boats while singing exactly as they have for centuries. Then the Guangzhou Tower， Liede Bridge， and all kinds of skyscrapers slowly crept into view. Tradition and modernity collide like this. The contrast between old and new is wonderful. Times are progressing， but traditions will always persist.”

He has recorded images of the folk custom of dragon boat racing for more than 10 years and seeks to continue to do so.“I want to capture the magical conflict and fusion in the evolution of Lingnan culture，” he said.“Ancient houses， customs and products are still intact in rapidly developing Guangdong. This contrast often creates a tremendous strength and a sense of drama in photography. Over the past decade， many of the buildings and customs I photographed have slowly disappeared or changed. This realization has given me a new sense of mission that wasnt there at the start.”