Introduction

All aspects change on the frontier when autumn comes:
Wild geese fly southward without faltering;
Shouts echo on all sides of the border when the bugle blows;
Amid a thousand mountains,
In the spreading mists and westering sun, the lonely citadel is closed.

This poem written by Fan Zhongyan over a thousand years ago vividly depicts the landscape of West China. Here, since remote antiquity, human wisdom has crystallized into some of the most brilliant gems in the world: the wondrous caves and murals of Dunhuang, the incredible grottoes of Yungang, and the many wind-swept ancient cities on the Silk Road all bear witness to the vicissitudes of civilization.

West China accounts for 56% of China’s total area and 23% of its population. It consists of six provinces, five regions and one centrally administered city. The land abounds in natural resources, magnificent landscape, and rich and colorful customs. People from this land are known for their spirit, soul and
beauty.

Jin Shouxian, a native son, has spent over twenty-six years toiling in the field of light and shadow. His creativity in photography is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of his homeland and his profound emotional attachment to the region. In fact, his works speak for themselves — no words are needed to
interpret them. Many of the photographs in this exhibition represent milestones in his career. They show the reason he captivated viewers, won over juries, and received honors in photographic contests around the world. According to Jin, “a photographer should try to look at a certain group of people, or a certain event/object in its context of space and time from the perspective of a sociologist. He must delve the clashes between his own individuality and the surroundings; eventually, through the process of sublimation, creating work that combines art and reality.”

Through the lens of Jin Shouxian, you see unfolded before you the beautiful oases of the Gobi Desert, the snow-capped mountains and grasslands, the silent sandy oceans, the vast primeval forests, as well as the odd landforms crafted by nature. His work also introduces to you the people of West China, full of life and spirit.

Jin does not deliberately pursue poetic beauty. Rather, he is more concerned with interpreting concepts. Accordingly, while working on the mixing of light and shadow and the interactions between movement and stillness, he attaches great importance to the use of unique angles to enrich the theme and connotation of his works, and to open and explore the viewers’ imagination and thinking.

The photographs on display come from ten years’ hard work in West China, where Jin Shouxian plunged into the thick of life, as a true artist does. To stroll through the exhibition is to walk with the artist through West China, and to share with him his infinite love for its nature, people and folkways.