Hong Kong, 4 Apr (ZXS) -- Father and son photographers relay the light and shadow of the years for Hong Kong

Suo Youwei, reporter of the China News Agency

Clothes fluttering in the high-rise streets, children playing on the side of the road with joy in ragged clothes, "mama sisters" (maids) walking in the market with long pigtails, rickshaw pullers running in the rain... These moments that are frozen on the film are quietly hidden in the darkroom, and from time to time they will come alive again in repeated washing, telling people about the past of Hong Kong.

Zhong Wenluo's famous work "Difficulty in Drinking Water".

These old photographs, which truly show the livelihood of Hong Kong people in the 20s and 50s of the 70th century, were created by the famous Hong Kong documentary photographer Zhong Wenliu. A few days ago, in a silver salt studio in North Point, a reporter from the China News Agency met Zhong Yili, the son of Zhong Wenluo and a master of traditional silver salt wet handicrafts.

"Dad loved photography and made it his career." Dressed as a darkhouse master, Chung Yili recalled that his father was born in Xinhui, Guangdong, and came to Hong Kong in 1947 to make a living, initially as an apprentice in the cinema, and after more exposure to fine arts, he also became interested in photography. When I came back from filming, I squatted in my own darkroom to take pictures and stayed up all night."

The picture shows Zhong Yili, the son of Zhong Wenliu, being interviewed by a reporter from the China News Agency. Photo by China News Agency reporter Suo Youwei

Zhong Yili took out a thick, yellowed notepad, and on each page was a photo pasted with Zhong Wenliu's handwritten photographic parameters and shooting experience. "Dad became a well-known professional photographer and won several awards. And I fell in love with photography under his influence. Pointing to a photograph of a woman waiting for running water in a daze, Chung recalled that this photo, titled "Difficulty in Drinking Water", was taken on the streets of Chai Wan in 1959, reflecting the hardship of citizens under the extreme drought in Hong Kong and the British government's repeated water production (meaning "controlled water"), "I made this negative when I was two years old." I opened a small hole in it, and I ended up in a big disaster, and my dad was beaten in the ass, but my dad has since developed a good habit of carefully handling his favorite negatives and recording the content of the shoot, and I have also changed from a vandal to a protector of my father's works. ”

The picture shows Zhong Wenliu's photography notepad. Photo by China News Agency reporter Suo Youwei

In Zhong Yili's memory, whenever there was various movements in society, his father would pick up a camera and run to the forefront of the scene; In order to capture the fleeting beautiful shot, the father could wait on the scene without coming home for several days until the shot was made.

"My dad taught me all day that the eyes should see what the perspective cannot see, and after feeling it, be diligent, persistent, and wait. Waiting is the most important element of a great photo. Zhong Yili said: "I followed my father to learn and try it myself, so the photos I took were more soulful." ”

Zhong Wenliu's work "Mother Sister with Long Braids".

Zhong Wenluo, who officially retired in 1991, began to organize more than 12000,2018 photos of Hong Kong landscapes and people he had taken over the past decades, and successively held many exhibitions in Hong Kong and the mainland. In 93, Zhong Wenliu passed away at the age of <>. Chung Yili said: "Dad once said to me that Hong Kong has changed a lot, so you must photograph every character so that you can pass it on to the next generation to know how Hong Kong people live." Therefore, he feels that it should be photographed and recorded every year, every month, and every day, and the significance is to pass on the history of China and Hong Kong to future generations. ”

Zhong Yili works in the darkroom.

Zhong Yili, who inherited his father's business, has also become popular in the Hong Kong commercial photography circle, but in recent years, he has decisively abandoned his career and plunged into the many films left by his father to sort out and rinse, and he is always happy.

In Zhong Yili's studio, the signboard of "Zhong Wenliu's Studio" is still hanging, and the various cameras used by Zhong Wenliu are still shining. "The pictures taken by the film camera are very three-dimensional, and the digital camera is fast, but the quality of the photos it takes is not as good as the film." Zhong Yili said that he wanted to make the light and shadow left by his father in Hong Kong bright again in the dust of the years. (End)