ektenia: There is a common preconception about what Chinese people look like, but the country’
ektenia: There is a common preconception about what Chinese people look like, but the country’s population—which includes 56 different ethnic groups—is far from monolithic. For photographer Hailun Ma, a desire to showcase the melting pot of cultures that make up her native Xinjiang, in northwestern China, has informed some of her most compelling work.[…] In her work, she wanted to promote the cultural richness of her hometown, a facet that tends to be overlooked in mainstream depictions of China. “When you walk along the streets, you see people who are fair with blue eyes or those that look more South Asian, so I never grew up thinking all Chinese looked the same way I do,” she says. “If you search for images of Xinjiang online, you get these very National Geographic images—stunning landscapes and maybe a smiling old man from a nomadic tribe. I wanted to present a younger perspective of what is happening.”A young Uyghur woman photographed by Hailun Ma, from A Distinctive Soul: Hailun Ma’s Diverse Portraits of China -- source link