Fan Jinhong, a passionate photography enthusiast, was born on 22nd April 1963 in Gansu, Northwest China, and has lived there for thirty years. He loves the culture of Western China and the traditions of its original inhabitants. After retirement, he settled in Chengdu. His love for photography was the influence of his father who likes to take pictures. He studied “engineering and civil engineering”, and has been working in the construction sites, so he has no time to pursue his favourite hobby. After retirement, he started to travel with his cameras to focus on the people and culture of ethnic minorities in Western China, especially on the Yi and Qiang ethnic groups. He also followed the living environment of the original inhabitants of the ancient towns around Chengdu, Sichuan Province and the tea culture of the old teahouses. Photogrpahy has become a part of his life.
Fan Jinhong is a member of the Global Photographic Union（GPU）, and obtains GPU Aphrodite title and GPU Crown-1. He is also a member of Sichuan Entrepreneurs’ Association, and Sichuan Artistic Photographers’ Association.
His works were exhibited at the 21st Pingyao International Photography Festival 2021, Lishui Photography Festival 2021, and the 16th China Huangshan (Yixian) International Rural Photography Exhibition 2021.
Wedding of Yi Ethnic Minority
Ranked sixth among China’s 55 official ethnic groups, the Yi minority is also one of the oldest ethnic groups in China. They have their own language and handwriting, and have long been nestled deep in the mountains and valleys. They are an ethnic group formed by the continuous fusion of the ancient Qiang people, who migrated south in the process of long-term development, with the indigenous tribes of southwest China.
According to Yi wedding customs, after the engagement of young men and women, it is time to prepare for the wedding feast. At the wedding feast, pork and chicken are usually used, not mutton. Their marriage is different and interesting. Only young girls who have undergone the “skirt changing ceremony” (when a girl reaches adulthood, she changes her original single braid into a double braid coiled on top of her head, and takes off her children’s skirt and puts on a pleated floor-length skirt) can fall in love.
The Yi wedding has preserved many ancient traditions, such as “splashing water, painting ashes on the face, crying for the bride” and so on. On the day of the wedding, when the groom’s family and friends arrive at the bride’s door, they are greeted by water splashed by the bride’s brothers and sisters to celebrate the most important day in their lives. The Yi people believe that after the water is splashed, there will be no shortage of water in the house and there is no need to carry water. After entering the house, the bride’s parents invite the singer to sing the wedding song. After arriving at the groom’s house, the bride can’t land on her feet and is carried into the village by the groom’s younger brother to cross the fire and firecrackers and drink the cup of wine with the groom.
