Charles De Simone

MALD 2007

The first half of my photos try to capture some of the religious and cultural diversity of Central-Western China: the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi along the so-called Gansu Corridor. Today it is an isolated, mountainous region, but it was the intersection of the Silk Road and the Tibetan Plateau and the home of many of China’s dynasties. Influences from Central Asia, the Islamic world and classical Chinese culture combined in a range of ways by rulers, religious leaders and ordinary people over the centuries. The area has many massive Buddhist statues and cave art which developed in India but entered China and evolved to reflect local culture and politics. The region is also home to large Muslim and Tibetan Buddhist communities whose art and architecture combine their distinctive traditions with features from classical Chinese culture.

During my time living in China I decided that taking photos of food was one of the most effective ways to provide a record of my experiences in the country. I think that taking “portraits” of food is an excellent way to capture a critical element of the experience of living in a country. Looking at traditional foods, one can see how the influences of geography, climate, past migrations and social upheavals are captured in the diversity of a country’s cuisine. Hopefully these photos capture some of the huge range of China’s culinary heritage and some of the influences that shaped it.