Photos from China 1986-87

Shortly after we married, my wife Carol and I taught English at an agricultural university in central China. It was 1986 and China was emerging from decades of trauma under Chairman Mao. Our students studied ardently under impoverished conditions; most of them are now published scholars with important roles in universities in China and around the world. The one thing I could teach them was English, and I did my best. In my spare hours I explored my city, on foot and on bicycle, and carried my camera everywhere. I was thoroughly engrossed and took many photographic risks. Eventually the police detained me for photographing a student demonstration. At the station, I exposed the film to light so that they couldn’t use my photos to identify any students. Ah, those were the days. Here are a few of the photos I took; I’ll post others down the road.

Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1987
Taiyuan, 1986
Taiyuan, 1986
Xian, 1987
Zhengzhou train station, 1987
Zhengzhou train station, 1987
Zhengzhou train station, 1987
Zhengzhou train station, 1987
Zhengzhou, 1986

Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1986
Zhengzhou, 1987
Zhengzhou, 1987
Zhengzhou, 1987

Published by Ed Aust

I'm a photographer and writer living in Oakland, CA.