Photo Essays

The Charm of China

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Photo Essays | Society | East Asia

The Charm of China

A photographer travels to the south of China to capture a rapidly disappearing rural life.

The Charm of China

The village of Dazhai

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

An elderly villager

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

Making noodles

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

A dentist at work

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

Watch out

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

A tavern in the old village

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

Morning mood

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

A farmer in Xinping

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

Path through the rice paddy

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

A marriage in Daxu

Credit: Victoria Knobloch
The Charm of China

Preparing dinner

Credit: Victoria Knobloch

Victoria Knobloch is a German photographer based in Leipzig, known for her exquisite and authentic black-and-white style. Her work embraces the fields of vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike, yet the human element is the continuous thread.

In March 2014 Victoria Knobloch traveled to the Chinese provinces around Guilin in the south of the country. The photographer was in search of tranquility, beauty and the little worlds of the ordinary people. This she found in almost every corner of this stunning area.

In rural China life is still slow and balanced. The photographer shows the beauty of this simplicity, tinged with the melancholy premonition that it will eventually disappear.