19/11/2024
âWONDER-INGâ a retrospective series by Chinese photographer Xiangjie Peng in our Altered States Magazine Autumn/Winter 2024.
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For over 30 years, Xiangjie Peng, a photographer from a small aviation manufacturing suburb in Northwestern China, has been grappling with this question. Peng graduated high school as the Cultural Revolutionâa decade-long period of social and political upheaval targeting anything and anyone deemed feudal or bourgeoisâwas drawing to a close. In the new era,âpeopleâs minds became more and more relaxed. The 1980s and â90s were a time of great mobility and migration for the Chinese people. We were not only able to survive but also to change our destiny.â Peng became a publicity photographer for an airline manufacturing company, which
provided him access to cameras that he used to create personal work on his days off, capturing various ancient temple fairs, funerals, weddings, and folk customs. One of these festivals introduced him to a group of circus caravans that would become both his temporary home and a photography project for the next decade. His father, a party member, expressed disdain and lack of faith in his sonâs career choices. âHe wonât look back until he hits the
south wall.â However, for Peng, it was an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who adhered to their own values despite societal constraints.
Words by Lulu Yao Gioiello
Image 1 , Cosplay, Chengdu, Sichuan, 2015
Image 2, Cosplay, Chengdu, Sichuan, 2015
Image 3, The Wandering Tent, Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia, 1999
All images courtesy of Xiangjie Peng
Peng
