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Pingyao I
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Pingyao I


When I got to Pingyao, I thought to myself, Now this is fucking exotic. I’ve traveled to many cities but this is different.

It looks just like the travel books I’ve seen all my life, but it’s the real thing. I’m really in an exotic place.

It’s a very small town, for China, about 50,000 people, a walled city, not so many tourists. Nobody speaks English. Everyone is friendly. There is nobody saying “no pictures.”

Beautiful young women performers, entertainers, wonderful food.

I try to remember that I came here to give a talk at a photographic festival, but all I really wanted to do is shoot.

When I finally gave my talk, there are about 600 people attending– biggest audience I’ve ever had.

One of the organizers, who spoke English, came up to me afterwards and apologized for the crowd. I asked why. He said we scheduled too many things for tonight. You would normally have had about 2,000 people.

One story I have about photo #2 of the old man who always greeted me when I came back to the hotel, exhausted at the end of the day, with the phrase, "You want a massage?" I always said no. On the afternoon I left I saw him, he said bye-bye, pointed to the young woman (photo #3) and said, "This lady massage lady."

Close-up Full Head, Sparkles on Eyelids, Pingyao
Close-up Full Head, Sparkles on Eyelids, Pingyao
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Older Man Smiling, Pingyao
Older Man Smiling, Pingyao
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Smiling Girl in Brown, Pingyao
Smiling Girl in Brown, Pingyao
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Man Against Red Poster, Pingyao
Man Against Red Poster, Pingyao
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Girl with High Collar, Pingyao
Girl with High Collar, Pingyao
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Girl, Red Hair, Huge Earrings, Pingyao
Girl, Red Hair, Huge Earrings, Pingyao
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Older Woman Tilted Head, Pingyao
Older Woman Tilted Head, Pingyao
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Young Woman with Cap and Cross, Pingyao
Young Woman with Cap and Cross, Pingyao
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Profile of Young Girl, Pingyao
Profile of Young Girl, Pingyao
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Young Boy with Tongue Out, Pingyao
Young Boy with Tongue Out, Pingyao
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Head of Older Woman with Unique Gold in Teeth, Pingyao
Head of Older Woman with Unique Gold in Teeth, Pingyao
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Woman Knitting with Three Needles, Pingyao
Woman Knitting with Three Needles, Pingyao
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Greenish Wall, Reddish Poster, Pingyao
Greenish Wall, Reddish Poster, Pingyao
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Roof in Outdoor Restaurant, Pingyao
Roof in Outdoor Restaurant, Pingyao
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Backlit People in Archway, Pingyao
Backlit People in Archway, Pingyao
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Woman, Man in Window, Pingyao
Woman, Man in Window, Pingyao
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Chinese Calligraphy and Reflection, Pingyao
Chinese Calligraphy and Reflection, Pingyao
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Woman Sweeping Grain, Pingyao
Woman Sweeping Grain, Pingyao
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Striped Wall and Man, Pingyao
Striped Wall and Man, Pingyao
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Striped Wall and Bicyclist, Pingyao
Striped Wall and Bicyclist, Pingyao
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Older Woman with Hat, Pingyao
Older Woman with Hat, Pingyao
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Young Woman, Hand to Face, Calligraphy, Pingyao
Young Woman, Hand to Face, Calligraphy, Pingyao
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Structural Detail of Building, Pingyao
Structural Detail of Building, Pingyao
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Man and Huge Slipper, Pingyao
Man and Huge Slipper, Pingyao
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Young Girl, with Red Artwork, Pingyao
Young Girl, with Red Artwork, Pingyao
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Vibrating Water, Pingyao
Vibrating Water, Pingyao
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Man Stroking Child's Head, Pingyao
Man Stroking Child's Head, Pingyao
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Man with Arm Around Child, Pingyao
Man with Arm Around Child, Pingyao
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Man Wheeling Kid on Bike, Pingyao
Man Wheeling Kid on Bike, Pingyao
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Man Leading Bare-Bottom Child by Hand, Pingyao
Man Leading Bare-Bottom Child by Hand, Pingyao
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Man with Cart, Cabbages, Pingyao
Man with Cart, Cabbages, Pingyao
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Young Girl with Nikon Camera, Pingyao
Young Girl with Nikon Camera, Pingyao
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Homemade Street Symbol, Pingyao
Homemade Street Symbol, Pingyao
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Woman with Eyes Closed, Pingyao
Woman with Eyes Closed, Pingyao
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Laughing Woman in White, Pingyao
Laughing Woman in White, Pingyao
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Color Wreath in Street, Pingyao
Color Wreath in Street, Pingyao
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Color Wreath, Guy on Bike, Pingyao
Color Wreath, Guy on Bike, Pingyao
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Wreath Factory, Pingyao
Wreath Factory, Pingyao
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Brushing Teeth, Big Wreath, Pingyao
Brushing Teeth, Big Wreath, Pingyao
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Police Watching Show, Pingyao
Police Watching Show, Pingyao
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Street Scene from Above, Pingyao
Street Scene from Above, Pingyao
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Street Scene from Higher Up, Pingyao
Street Scene from Higher Up, Pingyao
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Street Scene with Carpenters on Roof, Pingyao
Street Scene with Carpenters on Roof, Pingyao
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People Eating on Street, Pingyao
People Eating on Street, Pingyao
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Telephoto Shot of Street, Figure in Black, Pingyao
Telephoto Shot of Street, Figure in Black, Pingyao
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View from my Bed, Morning, Pingyao
View from my Bed, Morning, Pingyao
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Corroding Sign, Pingyao
Corroding Sign, Pingyao
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End of Pingyao Pt 1_pingyao27Welcome8Sign8Pingyao
End of Pingyao Pt 1_pingyao27Welcome8Sign8Pingyao
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