Faces of Heroism and Resilience
Many photographers focused on people across Hubei Province and elsewhere in China during the past few extraordinary months of heroism and resilience.
Facing the outbreak of COVID-19, China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, launched a people’s war to control and prevent the epidemic in January 2020. After implementing the most comprehensive, thorough and strict prevention and control measures, China successfully contained the spread of the virus in a relatively short period with great courage and strength.
The photo album 100 Photographers Focus on COVID-19 is divided into five parts: Life and Death, Help from All Sides,
Nationawide Prevention and Control, Exceptional Life, and Resumption of Production. A collection of 356 photographs by 268 Chinese photographers, the album preserves many indelible moments of China’s battle against COVID-19 thanks to the dedication of press photographers working on the front lines.
The cover image features a medical worker with marks on her face after wearing a mask for long hours. It was a portrait taken by
Li Ge, chairman of the Chinese Photographers Association and senior reporter for People’s Daily, who managed a team that captured 42,000 portraits of medical workers aiding Hubei Province. “They are not just 42,000 portraits; they are 42,000 stories and 42,000 touching scenes,” he declared.
Xie Hailong, a famous documentary photographer, stressed that every important moment should be engraved in our records and minds. Facing COVID-19, Chinese photographers bravely jumped in harm’s way to shine light on the strength and warmth of China’s brave heroes.