79 AND STILL PICTURE-PERFECT
Hong Nanli is likely the oldest working sports photographer in China
HONG Nanli stands just 153cm tall and at 79, this indefatigable grandmother is almost certainly the oldest working sports photographer in China, if not beyond.
It makes her a minor celebrity in a profession that is overwhelmingly male and macho, and in which many of her peers are less than half her age.
But it is not just her fellow journalists who snap selfies with her at sports matches and press conferences: players and coaches often seek her out because she cuts such an incongruous figure.
When NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was in the city, he took a selfie with Hong and posted it on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, writing: “This lady is a legend in Shanghai.”
Hong, who outside work leads an exercise class three times a week, is working as a freelance photographer more or less fulltime — extremely rare in a country where women usually retire before 55.
“I once made a promise that I will work until I am 80,” said Hong, with that milestone creeping up in July.
“I’m still wondering what my next plan is. I think, for me, it is impossible to completely give up working.
“But I sure don’t have the energy to take photos like I did before,” said Hong, fondly referred to by fellow photographers as “Teacher Hong” — “teacher” being a common term of endearment and respect in China.
Sports photography can be a physically demanding job, lugging around heavy equipment and jostling with fellow snappers — often male and always younger and stronger — for a prime spot.
Hong was knocked to the ground after the FA Cup final second leg in the rush to snap pictures of the jubilant Shenhua coach Wu Jingui.
Her camera, which threatens to overwhelm her at times, is empowering.
“Once you are at a sports event, you forget who you are. I feel I am like these youngsters and I am young,” she said.
Hong’s diminutive but sturdy frame is a nod to her early career as a gymnast. In 1959, she became a coach of a Shanghai’s women’s gymnastics team. She would later become an international gymnastics judge.
In 1979, she turned to photography and was employed by the Publicity Department of the Shanghai sports authorities, later going freelance.
She describes how she saw a young basketball player by the name of Yao Ming coming through the ranks as a gangly teenager in the 1990s and knew that he had the talent, intelligence and heart to be a global star.
Hong was there again when Yao announced his retirement in July 2011.
Describing it as one of her favourite moments, she took to the stage to present Yao a photograph she took of him before he became an NBA standout with the Houston Rockets.
“I think I am doing something valuable. 2018 is the 40th year of my taking photos and also the 40th anniversary of China’s reforming and opening up.”
Hong plans to put on a photo exhibition and publish a book.