CRI听力：A 70-Year-Old Chinese Photographer's Passion for Africa

Hello, and welcome to this edition of  Africa Express here on China Radio International. I'm your host, Wei Tong.

Today we'll continue the story of a 70-year-old Chinese photography fan - An Youzhong's - experience in Africa.

An Youzhong was too excited to fall asleep on the 24 hour of flight from Beijing to Kampala, capital of Uganda. There, he came across many unexpected things, which touched him a lot. He clearly remembers the first day he arrived there.

"The first thing that greeted me at the airport were swarms of mosquitoes. That was my first photo in Africa. I then left the airport and saw a beautiful sunrise glaring out at the sky. At that moment I found myself in a state of serenity and harmony - between man and nature."

An Youzhong's pictures depict a large range of flora and fauna. Varieties of wild animals and man co-exist in harmony in his pictures. A flock of birds are perched in the dense woods around cottages. Diligent African women work hard in the fields all day. Although it is heavy work, there is big smile on their faces. All of these scenes are photographed by An Yongzhong, forming a picture of authentic Uganda.

In view of security concerns, An Youzhong was not allowed to go out alone. He was warned that if anyone asked for money, he had to give it to them right away. Otherwise, he was likely to be shot dead by the robbers since carrying guns is legal in Uganda.

An Youzhong really experienced a robbery once when his precious Nikon camera was robbed by a local. Thanks to the help of an accompanying Chinese diplomat, the robber gave the camera back to him without asking for any ransom money.

In addition to robbery, An Youzhong came across many other troubles. Some Africans firmly believed their souls to be diluted in the process of being photographed. So his requests to take pictures of locals were often rejected. Another time, he narrowly escaped the attack of wild rhinoceros when he was just about to picture them. Each picture witnesses An Youzhong's bravery and perseverance. In spite of troubles, he still persisted, out of his passion for photography. As he stayed longer, he gradually thought out some ways to tackle these problems.

"Nearly all Africans know about Chinese Kungfu, along with its most famous practitioners: Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. If anyone was going to rob me of money, I simply demonstrated Chinese Kungfu to them. Then they dared not come any close nor offend me. If some people smiled at me, I knew they were friendly. But if received cold expressions, I would stay back for fear of being attacked."

An Youzhong told me he found great fun in taking photos of Ugandan children. In order to do that, he created some folk dances to please them and make them feel comfortable. It turned out to be effective.

"As soon as I held up my camera, the children would run away. I supposed they had not seen a camera before - a strange machine for them. Later, I saw a young boy listening to the radio. I went up to him but didn’t understand anything. I let myself go: I danced with him. The children stood there smiling at me and watching my dancing. You know it was my first time to dance. It was a good time to start! I held my camera right away and took many pictures of him, smiling, making faces, doing Chinese Kungfu...."

During the two-month photographic adventure in Uganda, some unique customs and living habits also deeply touched An Youzhong.

"In some tribes, if a man dies, his daughter will invite a young boy to stay overnight with her before the man could be put into a coffin. It is not a good habit and Ugandan government has banned it. But it still remains in some remote areas. And I think it's one of the reasons why HIV/AIDS is still so rampant across the country."

An Youzhong told me that once he had stayed in a village. A couple from the village wanted to get divorced. But the wife had to give the husband a cow. Then the cow was killed, its intestines cut open and cow dung taken out. This dung was applied to the wife's body. Only after this process is completed can a couple finally get divorced. An Youzhong says he was amazed by this odd custom, but felt great sympathy for the poor innocent cow.

An Youzhong unveiled that the most exciting thing on his African tour was managing to photograph the legendary pigmies, a group of small people who inhabit in the thick tropical jungle of Africa. This makes him the first Chinese photographer to picture these small aboriginal people. So how did he manage to reach the hard-to-get thick jungle and communicate with the pigmies? Next time we'll find out the secrets. I am Wei Tong. Thanks for listening and bye for now!