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Award-Winning Photojournalist Disappears In China, And Here Are 21 Of His Pics China Don’t Want You To See
Lu Guang’s photojournalism series has exposed the sides of China that its government isn’t keen on talking about drug addicts, HIV patients, environmental problems, and so on. This time, however, the famous photographer has himself become the center of a story. His wife Xu Xiaoli claims she hasn’t heard from her husband since the 3rd of November.
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On 23rd October, the photojournalist flew to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region, where he had planned to attend some photography events. Later, he was to fly to Sichuan to meet his friend Mr. Chen to participate in a charity event. But Mr. Chen was unable to find or contact the photographer.
Image credits: Xiaoli11032018
When Mr. Chen asked Guang’s wife about his whereabouts, she had nothing. Investigating the situation, Ms. Xu contacted the wife of the person who had invited her husband to Xinjiang. She was told both Mr. Lu and the host had been taken away by national security for allegedly being politically incorrect. Local officers from Zhejiang province, Mr. Lu’s hometown, later confirmed this.
(Worker in Wuhai City, Inner Mongolia. April 10, 2005. Image credits: Lu Guang)
“He has been lost for more than 20 days”, said his wife. “As his most direct family member, I have not received any notice of his arrest,” Ms Xu said on Twitter. “I have repeatedly contacted Xinjiang police but have been unable to get through. It is our 20th wedding anniversary [next week]. We should be celebrating it together. I can only hope for his safe return.”
(Most of the Lu Guang’s best photography reveals sad and shocking aspects of life in China, such as this heavy truck carrying coal and lime driving away, causing dust to fly and harming the nearby residents. Image credits: Lu Guang)
According to the BBC, Xinjiang has become notorious for its tight security controls, heavy surveillance, and police presence, tackling what they describe as growing radicalism among the ethnic Uighur Muslim community. The government is sensitive to criticism and has detained reporters who were investigating negative stories about China in the past.
(Eleven-year-old Xu Li of Hutsou is diagnosed with bone cancer. Image credits: Lu Guang)
“The reality in China is you never know if you’re going to get into trouble because there are no written rules,” the photographer said in an interview last year.
(Children also live in the industrial district. China is now the world’s second-largest economy. Its economic development has consumed lots of energy and generated plenty of pollution. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(On 16 July 2010, the pipeline of the Newport Oil Wharf of Dalian Bay exploded, sending lots of oil into the sea. Many fishing boats were assigned to clean up the oil contamination for 8,150 times. Image credits: Lu Guang)
The acclaimed best photographer in journalism won at the 2004 World Press Photo competition for his exposure of “AIDS villages”, where 678 people got infected with HIV after selling their blood. Out of 3,000 people, 678 have contracted HIV and 200 have died.
Image credits: Lu Guang
(A woman carrying her severely ill grandson implores the sky to prevent the devil of pain returning. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Disabled orphans adopted by charitable farmers. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Children with cerebral palsy licks milk powder off a bed to feed. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Laseng Temple has an over 200-year-old history, which includes the study of Mongolian medicines. It was seriously polluted by the surrounding factories, so few pilgrims go there now. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Many factories have been moved from the country’s east to its central and western parts. Employees work in the dust. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(The Baotou Steel plant dumps mineral processing sewage into the tailings dam. Image credits: Lu Guang)
Image credits: Lu Guang
(The chemical industrial park of Yanwei Port in the city of Lianyungang dumps sewage in the sea. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(In the jeans-producing village of Xintang Town, in Guangdong, workers gain the stone for grinding the denim every morning. Image credits: Lu Guang)
Image credits: Lu Guang
(A wife cares for her dying husband. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Qi Guihua, held here by her husband, fell ill when she returned to the village from Beijing to celebrate the Spring Festival. She died two hours after this photograph was taken. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Families such as this one have sold almost everything valuable in their home to help meet medical expenses. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(A young girl warms her hands in winter. Her father is infected with HIV and still cares for five children and his elderly parents. Image credits: Lu Guang)
(Two girls prepare for the funeral of their six-year-old brother, who died from AIDS. Image credits: Lu Guang)
Cédric Alviani, the director of Reporters Without Borders’ East Asia bureau, called on China to disclose where Lu is and to “guarantee journalists’ freedom of movement and security, including in Xinjiang Province.” It has not answered yet.
What do you think ?
Daria B 7 years ago (edited)
Wonder if all that waste and pollution has to do with the cheap prices for products marked "made in China". Wonder if it also has to do with multinational corporations who have their factories in China.... This, combined with a government that cares less about human right. And these are the results.
r3dd3v1lL 7 years ago
"multinational corporations" Probably this. While I'm all for a free market I think MNCs do more damage than good when they start thinking themselves above governments and reproach.
Load More Replies...
naomi Olumbori 7 years ago
This breaks my heart to see this. It breaks my heart even more that I can't help everyone suffering.
Louise Gerathy 7 years ago
Heartbreaking doesn't even remotely describe how these photos make me feel. Being an expat living in Macau, my kids are sick a lot which I blame pollution for but this, this is just horrifying. Our pollution is minimal compared to this. What kind of world are my kids going to grow up in
Torre Sims 7 years ago
China has the manpower and resources to fix their problems. America does too, for that matter.
Stacy Smith 7 years ago
This is exactly the side effects of capitalism on steroids. I am so sick of people saying capitalism is the best thing we've got. No it's not. We need to start balancing things from the other end of the spectrum. It's the advertisers that for decades have brainwashed us into thinking we need to go into debt for a bunch of c**p we don't heed, all while coordinations all over the world are exploiting our natural resources and selling our water back to us. We need some balance of an Agrarian society where everyone can have an affordable piece of land to grow some kind of food on. Our planet and generations needs this.
Full Name 7 years ago
When China didn't embrace the West's money the country was an absolute shithole. Hundreds of millions in absolute abject poverty. Capitalism has lifted that country to an average standard of living almost unthinkable just a couple decades ago. Of course there are still insane abuses going on, but don't throw out the baby with the bathwater because China now has a real middle class when before it was mostly 3rd world. Go tell all the people there who now have reliable electricity, clean water and stable housing/food and some pocket change that you want to send them back to hell simply because not everybody else has also been lifted yet.
Load More Replies...
tuzdayschild 7 years ago
Instead of trying to censor these photos, use what you see to improve the living conditions for your people.
Ogah Ominiabohs 7 years ago
They are speeding up in investing in renewables and in environ tech, China has grown as the no 1 country investing in sustainables. But capitalism is a monster and China has made itseld its food and tech basket. Also, suppression is still in the party blood and people like Guang who needs to do his job as a photojournalist can find it very tricky.
Load More Replies...
Suzi Gauthier 7 years ago
This is our future, if we keep allowing multi-national corporations free reign.
Grumble O'Pug 7 years ago (edited)
Please call your representatives or senators. AiWeiWei is now out, but only because if global pressures.Lu Guang should not be forgotten
dutamulia 7 years ago
Remember guys, google is licking the butt of china's government in order gain access to the vast market.
Full Name 7 years ago
Why wouldn't they? They intrusive, untrustworthy and the do dumb s**t and then defend it like using Google Earth cars to data mine in Canada off of wireless networks, and then of course the whole James Damore goddamn fiasco. Google is absolutely evil.
Load More Replies...
Freya the Wanderer 7 years ago
This is why you need to avoid "Made in China" as much as possible and fight multi-national trade agreements. The jobs always go to the country that has the lowest wagers and the loosest regulations.
bob 7 years ago (edited)
Yep, but some Chinese companies have understood that. More and more of them are building factories in western countries, so they can stick "Made in [good country]" on their products. You just have to see the working conditions in some factories of Prato in Italy... Basically, there are sweatshops like in China, only they can brand their products as "Made in Italy". How can you make the difference with actual Made in China stuff then? I don't know what the solution is really...
Load More Replies... Daria B 7 years ago (edited)
Wonder if all that waste and pollution has to do with the cheap prices for products marked "made in China". Wonder if it also has to do with multinational corporations who have their factories in China.... This, combined with a government that cares less about human right. And these are the results.
r3dd3v1lL 7 years ago
"multinational corporations" Probably this. While I'm all for a free market I think MNCs do more damage than good when they start thinking themselves above governments and reproach.
Load More Replies... naomi Olumbori 7 years ago
This breaks my heart to see this. It breaks my heart even more that I can't help everyone suffering.
Louise Gerathy 7 years ago
Heartbreaking doesn't even remotely describe how these photos make me feel. Being an expat living in Macau, my kids are sick a lot which I blame pollution for but this, this is just horrifying. Our pollution is minimal compared to this. What kind of world are my kids going to grow up in
Torre Sims 7 years ago
China has the manpower and resources to fix their problems. America does too, for that matter.
Stacy Smith 7 years ago
This is exactly the side effects of capitalism on steroids. I am so sick of people saying capitalism is the best thing we've got. No it's not. We need to start balancing things from the other end of the spectrum. It's the advertisers that for decades have brainwashed us into thinking we need to go into debt for a bunch of c**p we don't heed, all while coordinations all over the world are exploiting our natural resources and selling our water back to us. We need some balance of an Agrarian society where everyone can have an affordable piece of land to grow some kind of food on. Our planet and generations needs this.
Full Name 7 years ago
When China didn't embrace the West's money the country was an absolute shithole. Hundreds of millions in absolute abject poverty. Capitalism has lifted that country to an average standard of living almost unthinkable just a couple decades ago. Of course there are still insane abuses going on, but don't throw out the baby with the bathwater because China now has a real middle class when before it was mostly 3rd world. Go tell all the people there who now have reliable electricity, clean water and stable housing/food and some pocket change that you want to send them back to hell simply because not everybody else has also been lifted yet.
Load More Replies... tuzdayschild 7 years ago
Instead of trying to censor these photos, use what you see to improve the living conditions for your people.
Ogah Ominiabohs 7 years ago
They are speeding up in investing in renewables and in environ tech, China has grown as the no 1 country investing in sustainables. But capitalism is a monster and China has made itseld its food and tech basket. Also, suppression is still in the party blood and people like Guang who needs to do his job as a photojournalist can find it very tricky.
Load More Replies... Suzi Gauthier 7 years ago
This is our future, if we keep allowing multi-national corporations free reign.
Grumble O'Pug 7 years ago (edited)
Please call your representatives or senators. AiWeiWei is now out, but only because if global pressures.Lu Guang should not be forgotten
dutamulia 7 years ago
Remember guys, google is licking the butt of china's government in order gain access to the vast market.
Full Name 7 years ago
Why wouldn't they? They intrusive, untrustworthy and the do dumb s**t and then defend it like using Google Earth cars to data mine in Canada off of wireless networks, and then of course the whole James Damore goddamn fiasco. Google is absolutely evil.
Load More Replies... Freya the Wanderer 7 years ago
This is why you need to avoid "Made in China" as much as possible and fight multi-national trade agreements. The jobs always go to the country that has the lowest wagers and the loosest regulations.
bob 7 years ago (edited)
Yep, but some Chinese companies have understood that. More and more of them are building factories in western countries, so they can stick "Made in [good country]" on their products. You just have to see the working conditions in some factories of Prato in Italy... Basically, there are sweatshops like in China, only they can brand their products as "Made in Italy". How can you make the difference with actual Made in China stuff then? I don't know what the solution is really...
Load More Replies...
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