China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Images of taste
China’s rich culinary heritage continues to inspire creativity, Julian Shea reports in London.
Writing about music was once famously likened to dancing about architecture, and, similarly, some might question the point of taking photographs of food. Long before photography existed, food was the inspiration for many a painter, often because of its simplicity and straightforwardness — and indeed cheapness — but considering the very essence of food is taste, smell and texture, its popularity in a two-dimensional medium that allows none of these integral characteristics may seem odd.
But the universality of food, the creativity of its preparation rituals, and the human interaction of eating it mean that it is, in fact, arguably an even richer source of inspiration for photographers, catching movement, than for still-life artists.
Nowhere is this borne out more than at the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards, held in London each spring, and the subsequent prize-winners’ exhibition at the Royal Photographic Society in Bristol.
This year’s staging of the awards, the 12th, was the biggest yet, drawing thousands of entries from more than 65 countries, and, once again, Chinese food, Chinese society and Chinese photographers figured prominently among the prize winners.
All photographs were judged by an expert panel of food industry figures and artists, anonymously, so they had no idea who took the images, and, in the modern globalized era, the setting for the image offered no hint as to who may have taken it either. But, year after year, photos taken by Chinese entrants have figured heavily among the winners.
This year, no fewer than 17 awards and commendations went to entrants from China, following up four category wins and 18 other placements and awards in 2022, and a Chinese photographer winning the overall top prize in both 2021 and 2019.
China’s rich and diverse culinary heritage has long been popular all over the world, and now it is inspiring art that is provoking a similarly enthusiastic response.
Love affair with food
One of this year’s most successful entrants is Yang Zhonghua, who won both the Food in Action and the competition’s specific China category with the same image, entitled Anchang Sugar Dance Artist, which depicts a man in Zhejiang province creating stunning shapes.
Another of his pictures, Hanging Up Persimmons, came first in the Moments of Joy category.
He tells China Daily that China’s social love affair with food was one of the things that have inspired his award-winning images.
“The pursuit of food is engraved in the bones of Chinese people,” he explains. “Greeting friends by saying ‘Did you have your meals?’ is as common as saying ‘hello’ to each other.
“When I go on a trip, I always pay attention to the unique food and dishes of the region. Dried persimmon is a specialty in Anchang, Zhejiang province, and I was there at the time they were hanging them up to dry in the eaves of the houses. The host family looked so happy with their harvest, it moved me and quickly I captured what became Hanging Up Persimmons.
“Similarly, Anchang Sugar Dance Artist was inspired by another regional specialty. I found the man’s moves exquisite, and the wide-angle lens allowed me to capture the magical color change of the syrup, from amber to silver.”
To Yang, photographing scenes involving food is as much about culture and geography as it is about ingredients and atmosphere.
“The unique features of a local environment always give special characteristics to its inhabitants, so a study of a foodstuff is a study of the culture that creates it,” he explains. “Every place has its own specialties, and to remember a cuisine or a dish is to remember the customs of a place, and its people. In a sense, the people involved are part of the artistic flavor.”
Capturing change
Another prize winner is Liang Haikun, whose image Ancient Wine Making, taken in Sichuan province, the heartland of baijiu production, shows the global audience something uniquely Chinese, which he tells China Daily made him particularly proud.
“People joke that Chinese history is the cultural history of liquor, but a lot of the traditional techniques have been lost because of industrialization,” he says. “To document one of the few remaining traditional brewing techniques in the country, we found a 100-yearold brewery in Xiaogu town, in Leshan city, Sichuan province.
“On the day of shooting, the sun suddenly shone through the tiles of the roof, onto the cellar, and when the sun rays penetrated the fluttering chaff thrown by the brewer, it created a golden column of light.
“We suppressed our excitement at such a wonderful image to capture it instantly with a high-speed shutter, taking care to capture the contrast of the light and dark, and the dynamics of the falling chaff and the relative stillness of the wine-maker.” *
Liang is an experienced photographer, but does not claim to be a food expert. However, the significance of food in Chinese culture makes it a wonderful subject, and a great shorthand way of explaining the essence of Chinese life to audiences.
“We attach great importance to food in China, and it is a great bridge for emotional exchange with others,” he says. “Food is integrated into every aspect of our lives, so it is only natural that it becomes one of the elements I photograph.”
Another of the reasons why Chinese food is such a rich artistic inspiration, he says, is its sheer volume and variety.
“It can be differentiated according to region into such cuisines as Lu, Sichuan, Guangdong, Suzhou, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Huizhou, etc, and they all employ different cooking techniques, like steaming, stewing, roasting, frying, braising, marinating, grilling, and more. Because Chinese cuisine is so rich in ingredients and techniques, it leaves huge scope for creative imagination in art.”
This year was the second time that Liang entered the Pink Lady competition, a decade after his first forays into competition photography, and he says it is no surprise to see photographers from China making an ever-greater impact on the world stage.
“Learning through cultural exchange is the best way to broaden one’s vision and improve one’s skills — it was only after I first joined in a contest 10 years ago that I began to feel that my abilities were improving,” he says. “Recently, I’ve noticed more and more expertly trained photographers becoming the backbone of the industry in China. And I think it’s likely we’ll see more of them recognized in world-class competitions in years to come.”
Appropriately enough for an award-winning artist, Liang has a particularly florid way of describing the impact of his own success on his life and work.
“Over the years of working, most of the time, I consider myself as a lost boat, floating in and out of self-recognition and self-denial as I continue to learn and create,” he says. “But when I win awards, each recognition is a lighthouse in the dark night, guiding my navigation and giving me the motivation to keep going.”
To remember a cuisine or a dish is to remember the customs of a place, and its people.”
Chinese cuisine is so rich in ingredients and techniques, it leaves huge scope for creative imagination.”
Cultural asset
The catch-all term “Chinese food” is such a sweeping generalization, taking in so many different cuisines, regions, peoples, and traditions that, to purists, it might be almost meaningless.
But as an international calling card, food from China is one of the greatest cultural assets the country has, and Yang is more than happy to continue to draw on it as artistic inspiration, and as a consequence, to do his bit through his art to further promote China — and its food — on the global stage, enlightening other countries about what China has to offer.
“I enjoy showcasing the aspects of the many different faces of China to the wider world, and I’m delighted that this side of my country has been recognized in other countries,” he says. “I hope my pictures can help give other countries and other peoples a more comprehensive understanding of China.”