Rong, Owner and photographer of Jin-Hai Digital Photo Studio
Rong is originally from the City of Qingyuan, one of the most diverse urban cities in Guangdong Province, located around 43 miles north of Foshan. He came to the Pearl River Delta around 17 to 19 years ago and, according to his words, “happened” to work for a photo studio on the Bitangdongyi Street. Later on when his boss decided to sell the studio, Rong took the opportunity and bought the studio, becoming his own boss and owner of the photo studio.
Rong’s studio has experienced dramatic changes as photograph technology progressed. He still remembers the days and nights he spent in the darkroom, when people were still using roles of film to take pictures. As division of labor developed, they began to take the films to nearby company that was specialized in processing. Then finally when everyone started using digital camera, Rong bought two computers and some other equipment to catch up with the technology. As a result, the darkroom in the back officially retired and was changed into a kitchen for Rong and his wife.
Along with the technical development, society changed and people’s tastes changed. Ten years ago, people came to Rong’s photo studio before the Spring Festival or birthday to take posed photos with New Year Posters or other extravagantly decorated pictures as backgrounds, holding a guitar in hand or sitting straight up on an antique chair. Nowadays, people came to Rong’s with a disc that has digital information of the photos they took by themselves. Sometimes people came here to take photos for various IDs.
He Guotian, owner of the Pin Qin Recreation and Sports Bookstore
Mr. He was originally a teacher who taught almost everything in the 70s, as he called himself "万金油" (wan-jin-you, “one size fits all”). In the 80s he came to Foshan University to teach Electro-Mechanical and English to the undergraduate. Around 1985, he became the manager of a little shop in the Foshan University in his part time, selling snacks. Following the trend of privatization after Deng Xiaoping’s policy, Mr. He then privatize the shop and moved it to the street right outside of the university, becoming his own boss. In 1996, Mr. He redecorated his shop and changed it into a bookstore.
Mr. He plays violin in his part time and the name of the bookstore Pin Qin, literally “taste violin,” was named by a professor from the university, a good friend of He and frequent customer of the bookstore. Nowadays Mr. He no longer sells textbook, but mainly magazines, newspaper, and books that help students to prepare for CET (China’s mandatory College English Test), Test for Master’s Program, and Entrance Examination for Civil Service.
When Mr. He knew that I wanted to take pictures of him, he took out his calligraphy and hang them up as the "background."
Mr. He playing violin in the limited space of his bookstore Pin Qin -- "Taste Violin."
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