Caravanserai:
a photographic
exhibition
Webster's dictionary
defines the word
"caravanserai" as a large bare building
surrounding a court in Eastern
countries where caravans rest at night.
This series of portraits
resulted from
my travels along the ancient trade
route of Western China known as the
Silk Road, and while crossing the
mountains of Tibet on the way to Nepal.
Many of the rest stops reminded me of
a "caravanserai".
These are confrontational
portraits taken
on encounters with the non-Chinese
population like the Muslims of Turkish
descent and the Tibetans in the streets and
in the bazaars.
I was interested
in meeting the people, and
in their reactions toward me, an "overseas
Chinese", and I searched for rapport between the photographer and
the subjects.
These photographs
not only show how
colorful these people are, but also symbolize
their vibrancy and resiliency under the
constant repression of Chinese rule.
