Wuxi electrician wins international photography award

Qian Haifeng, an electrician and amateur photographer from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, won the highest award at the 2015 Lianzhou International Photo Festival held in Lianzhou, Guangdong province, for his series work "Green Train", on Nov 23.

Since 2008, Qian has been travelling around China on the "green train", a nickname for Chinese old style passenger trains with carriages that are usually painted with green colors and yellow stripes. He shoots photos of passengers on the train to record the ordinary life of Chinese grassroots people.

"I belong to the same group as those people on the train," said Qian, "and, though I am not a professional, I just want to preserve each moment that reflects our daily life."

During the reviewing process, Qian's work got six votes from seven judges in the first round and all the votes in the other four rounds. "His work really attracts me," said photography critic Bao Qun, one of the judges, adding, "he undoubtedly deserves the prize."

The event organizer offered Qian the largest booth at the photography show and did not charge him given his financial condition.

On the booth cover is a middle-aged woman falling asleep holding a magnolia flower in her hand with a hazy rainy scene outside the train window. "I was fascinated by the way she looked, as if immersed in a wonderful memory," said Qian, "so I immediately pressed the shutter."

A middle-aged woman falls asleep holding a magnolia flower in her hand while it rains heavily outside the "green train". [Photo/js.people.com.cn]

"Qian does not pursue aestheticism in his work," said Tang Haowu, executive vice president of the Wuxi Photographers Association, "his work displays common people's life from common people’s perspectives and makes people focus on another kind of real life that is sometimes ignored."

"The honor belongs to all the people on the 'green train'", said Qian, "I was simply accepting the award for them."

Vegetable farmers transport their crops in a "green train" from Liupanshui city, Southwest China's Guizhou province, to Kunming city, the capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province, Feb 25, 2014. [Photo/CFP]

Stewards of a "green train" take pictures in front of the train at Zhangjiakou station in North China's Hebei province, April 25, 2014. [Photo/CFP]