| Pow Kee Fishing, Hankow 1884 Albumen print 21.9 x 28.2 cm National Galleries of Scotland Acc. No. PGP R 880 LL/56761 (Curatorial caption, accessed 23 November 2014)
Hankow (presently written Hankou) is one of three towns included in modern day Wuhan, where the Han and Yangtze rivers merge, approximately 628 km (425 miles) west of Shanghai. The photographer seems to be taking pleasure in the shapes and pattern made by the people and the upturned parasol, rather than in a story unfolded by the image. The asymmetry of the composition and the clear reflection of the figures in the water are a reference to the Chinese philosophical view of the balance in nature and art.
| |