Chinanews.com, Wuhan, March 8th, title: 50,000 free wedding photos to freeze-frame "love story that never ages"
Author Wu Yili
"Grandpa and grandma, come closer and smile!" In March of Yangchun, in a small courtyard on Zhifang Street, Jiangxia District, Wuhan, 80-year-old Sun Taiyan and Zhao Qiaozhi had their first wedding photo in their lives.
In the photo, Sun Taiyan hugged his wife in a red dress and smiled brightly.
The picture shows the wedding photos taken by members of the "Dream Project" for the elderly. The photo provided by the "Dream Project" public welfare practice team
The "photographer" of the wedding photos is from the public welfare practice team of the "Dream Plan" of Wuhan Institute of Engineering Science and Technology.
Yu Jinwen, Secretary of the General Branch of the School of Art and Media of the school, is the founder of the "Dream Realization Project".
When his grandfather passed away a few years ago, the family searched everywhere but could not find a suitable photo to use as a portrait.
Yu Jinwen realized that many elderly people in rural areas rarely have the opportunity to take pictures, let alone wedding photos.
In 2015, Yu Jinwen recruited 15 students to form a "Dream Realization Project" team to realize the "wedding dream" for the elderly.
The picture shows the members of the "Dream Plan" make-up team doing makeup for the elderly "Dream Plan" public welfare practice team
At first, the "Dream Project" faced many difficulties. Most of the team members did not know photography and makeup, so Yu Jinwen tried to invite experienced students to train the team members; the funds for the activities were insufficient, so the team members organized a "flea market" during the graduation season. Sell idle items.
The picture shows the members of the "Dream Project" communicating with the subject of the shooting. The photo provided by the "Dream Project" public welfare practice team
The team has gradually matured, and the team members are divided into different groups. The makeup group is responsible for makeup and styling, the copywriting group is responsible for recording love stories, and the props group is responsible for setting lighting.
Every summer vacation, everyone brings their own photographic equipment and clothing props, goes to the countryside, communities, and nursing homes to take wedding photos for elderly couples, and then prints, mounts and presents the photos to the elderly.
Even with tans and bug bites, no one ever complained.
The picture shows members of the "Dream Project" taking wedding photos for the elderly "Dream Project" public welfare practice team
In July 2020, Gao Xingyu, a member of the "Dream Realization Project", and his partners went to Zigui County, Yichang City for filming.
The subjects, Grandma Shang and her wife, had limited living conditions in the past, and never thought that they would be able to take a set of wedding photos one day.
Today, Grandma Shang is diagnosed with advanced cancer, and her hair has become thinner due to chemotherapy.
Gao Xingyu braided braids for her, put on lipstick and blush, and changed into a Chinese-style Xiuhe dress, as if she had returned to her youth in an instant.
"Grandma Shang shed tears after receiving the photo. She put the photo on the bedside table, hoping it would be a memory for grandpa." Gao Xingyu said.
The picture shows members of the "Dream Project" taking wedding photos for the elderly "Dream Project" public welfare practice team
According to Wang Chenyuge, a member of the "Dream Project", behind every wedding photo is an "ageless love story".
In 2022, she went to Shijiazhuang to take wedding photos.
In the 1960s, the protagonist of the photo, Ren Jinyu, was still a railway soldier in Heilongjiang. A letter from home for several months was the only way for the newlyweds to communicate.
Over the years, his wife's persistence and silent companionship have become his spiritual motivation for working in a foreign land.
The couple have been hand in hand for more than half a century. In the photo, Ren Jinyu put on the military uniform again and raised his right hand to salute his wife in the wedding dress. The scene of the two smiling at each other is forever fixed in the photo.
The picture shows members of the "Dream Project" taking wedding photos for the elderly "Dream Project" public welfare practice team
"Many young people say 'I don't believe in love'. By taking supplementary wedding photos for the elderly, my view of love has changed. They let me see love and believe in love." Wang Chenyuge said.
In the past 9 years since the establishment of the "Dream Project" team, the number of members has increased to more than 400. They have traveled all over the country in 30 cities, and have taken more than 50,000 wedding photos for more than 650 elderly couples for free. They have held 5 wedding photography exhibitions and compiled records. It tells the love stories of nearly a thousand old people.
The picture shows members of the "Dream Project" taking wedding photos for the elderly "Dream Project" public welfare practice team
"New blood is constantly joining the team. Some seniors have become 'team consultants' after leaving school and imparting experience to newcomers. We all have a common goal in mind: to help more elderly people make up for the regrets of youth." Yu Jinwen said.
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