The sound of the whistling wind was wrapped in the sparse string drum sound. In the blue quietness, the snow-covered Great Wall slowly stretched under the flowing clouds, and the countdown to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics has begun. "Snooze into the night with the wind, moistening things silently"... From the beginning of "rain" to the end of "the beginning of spring", the twenty-four solar terms that flow all express the romance of the Chinese.
Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Countdown Opening Screen. Photo provided by the interviewee
"Wow, this shot was taken by Lao Wang!" "That's the same!" "This is taken by the 'Palace Fan'!" "You are so great!" On the evening of February 4, a group of photography enthusiasts gathered in front of the TV. In an exclamation, two old men, who were over 40 years old, looked at their works together with ancient poems, and their faces were red with excitement.
The "Old Wang" Wang Qihong and "Palace Fan" Zhang Lei mentioned by friends are both "amateur players" who became monks halfway through the photography circle. One of them focuses on shooting Great Wall , and is nicknamed "the person growing on the Great Wall"; the other one is addicted to shooting Forbidden City , and is called "the palace fan". This time, the opening and closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, directed by Zhang Yimou, was selected respectively, and 8 sets of pictures and 11 sets of pictures taken by them, which were mainly presented in the countdown to the twenty-four solar terms of the opening ceremony.
"Our videos are used for free by the organizing committee of the Winter Olympics. We are honored to be able to contribute to the Olympics." Wang Qihong, one of the photographers, told the reporter of Beijing News that in the future, they will continue to nourish this love with the lens to record the magnificence and magnificence of the Great Wall and the Forbidden City under thunderstorm, frost and snow.
Zhang Lei (left) and Wang Qihong. Intern Tang Saikun, Beijing News, photographed by
A special film selection meeting
Zhang Lei never thought about what kind of connection would his little hobby have with the Beijing Winter Olympics. It was not until early December 2021 that the staff of Zhang Yimou Studio came to him.
Many years ago, Zhang Lei opened personal video accounts on major short video platforms to publish his own works. As a well-known "palace fan" in the circle of photography enthusiasts, he particularly prefers shooting the Forbidden City.
works taken by Zhang Lei. Photo provided by the interviewee
"Zhang Yimou's studio may have seen the Forbidden City I took on a short video platform, so I found it." The other party was full of sincerity and communicated with him about the use of videos, and proposed that these works may be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics. In addition, they also hope to have a wider range of materials, such as the Great Wall, which is best to reflect the replacement of the four seasons.
Zhang Lei immediately recommended Wang Qihong to the director team. Like Zhang Lei, Wang Qihong also has his own "hobby" - focusing on shooting the Great Wall. Zhang Lei said that when everyone mentioned Wang Qihong in his circle of friends, he knew that he was a "person who grew up on the Great Wall." Whenever there are holidays or extreme weather, when asked where Wang Qihong is, he would definitely be squatting at the Great Wall.
The Great Wall under the lens of Wang Qihong. Photo provided by the interviewee
On December 5, 2021, Wang Qihong and Zhang Lei met director Zhang Yimou in a courtyard on the North Fifth Ring Road, with their own shooting materials.
"When I took it myself, I thought it was good-looking, and I didn't have such a profound interpretation and understanding. Director Zhang said that I knew why he wanted to choose those pictures." Wang Qihong recalled to the Beijing News reporter that the first one selected by Zhang Yimou in his work was an aerial shot of Badaling Great Wall , which was shot in March last year. Later, it became the opening scene of the countdown to the twenty-four solar terms. "Director Zhang told me that this video captured a kind of artistic conception of the 'Ink and Wash Great Wall'. The veins of the Great Wall were just like dragons, and the city towers entered the painting were perfect, which was very suitable for displaying them to audiences all over the world on Winter Olympics ."
Among the 11 sets of pictures selected by Zhang Lei, most of them are the Forbidden City at different angles in various solar terms. Rain, Qingming Festival, Beginning of Summer, White Dew , Frost Fall , Xiaoxue ... Zhang Lei said that the first scene of the Forbidden City selected by Zhang Yimou was a scene of the Forbidden City in heavy snow that he had previously posted on his personal video account."What's special about this video is the shooting angle, which gives people a visual experience, like enjoying the Forbidden City in the snow in the gaps between stage curtains."
Zhang Lei's picture of the Forbidden City was selected for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics "Countdown to the 24 solar terms". Photo provided by the interviewee
Wang Qihong said that when he selected the film that day, the total amount of films between him and Zhang Lei's shooting materials was more than 10T, and the length of each piece of material was as short as twenty or thirty seconds, and the length was more than one minute. Zhang Yimou personally took the laser pen and watched the video materials on the projection one by one. When he saw the picture of interest, he would repeatedly read the marks. He only selected nearly 20 sets of pictures of the two of them, which took more than four hours.
A staff member of Zhang Yimou Studio told the Beijing News reporter that she was also present on the day of the film selection. At that time, Zhang Lei and Wang Qihong both said that they would provide the selected photography works to the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee for free. According to her recollection, she asked in detail about the story behind the shooting of the two photographers that day, and director Zhang Yimou also expressed recognition of their persistence and efforts.
"I feel very honored to be able to contribute to the Winter Olympics with my works." Speaking of the decision to provide materials for free, Wang Qihong said, "We hope that not only the works will be seen, but the beauty of cultural landscapes like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City can also be discovered and recorded more."
From passers-by to "ambitious"
Wang Qihong is from Tongling, Anhui Province. He is 41 years old and currently works in a state-owned enterprise in Beijing. He told the Beijing News reporter that he never felt that he was "talented" in photography, nor did he think that one day, his works would be played at the Winter Olympics and would be seen by people all over the world. In his opinion, his addiction to photography is more of a compensation for his childhood wishes.
The Great Wall picture taken by Wang Qihong was selected for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics "Countdown to the 24 solar terms". Photo provided by the interviewee
Wang Qihong still clearly remembers that the first photo in his life was a photo with his younger brother when he was 7 years old. In many years since then, he rarely had the opportunity to take photos. "I have always envied those who have photo albums at home, because every important moment in the past has been recorded."
In 1999, when 18-year-old Wang Qihong spent 125 yuan to buy his first camera in his life, film. At that time, he had no special preference for photography subjects. His biggest purpose was to record his life, "such as retirement, graduation, work, marriage... he just hoped to leave traces with photography."
until his daughter was born in 2008. In order to record his daughter's growth, he bought his first SLR camera in his life. It is precisely because of this that Wang Qihong's shooting gradually became "professional". Under the organization of the equipment store owner, he began to frequently contact some photography enthusiasts. Everyone either practiced their skills together or went out to shoot together. In this process, he gradually learned to make composition, dim, focus...
changed from portraits to take pictures, which was completely a coincidence. One weekend in July 2009, Wang Qihong accompanied his wife back to Chengde, Hebei to visit relatives. His wife's hometown was near the Jinshanling Great Wall , and Wang Qihong invited her relatives and friends to climb the Great Wall together.
"The night before we climbed the Great Wall, it happened to rain heavily in Jinshanling , so we caught up with the sea of clouds when we climbed. The picture was so beautiful and very shocking. Locals said that this scene could not catch up with a few times a year. We were very lucky, so we were very impressed." Wang Qihong recalled.
This time, encountering the sea of clouds made Wang Qihong have the idea of shooting cultural landscapes and natural scenery. But at that time, he didn't know what he should shoot, "It was still unorganized. Sometimes he photographed people, sometimes he photographed scenery, and occasionally he also climbed the Great Wall to try his luck." It was not until 2018 that Wang Qihong met the "palace fan" Zhang Lei. With the encouragement of the other party, he no longer "shots in general" and began to try to focus on shooting the Great Wall.
Wang Qihong is releasing the drone to prepare for aerial photography of the Great Wall. Photo provided by the interviewee
Zhang Lei is from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, one year younger than Wang Qihong. He has been engaged in advertising design before, and most of the projects undertaken are related to real estate.His daily work requires him to frequently contact architectural photography, look at pictures and select pictures. He picks up his camera in his spare time to take pictures, which seems to be a matter of course.
Before she became obsessed with shooting the Forbidden City, Zhang Lei was still in the amateur stage of playing photography. He said that at that time, his shooting had neither purpose nor could it be used to make money, but was just a supplement to some professional skills. For example, when materials were needed occasionally at work, he could also get started and responded to the urgent needs.
's persistence in the Forbidden City stems from the unwillingness that accreted by accident. Zhang Lei remembers that it was in 2015. He went to the Forbidden City with his friends to visit. As a professional designer and amateur photographer, he couldn't help but pick up the camera to take a photo, but due to the massive number of tourists in the Forbidden City, he never was able to take a satisfactory photo.
"At that time, I thought, I must find an opportunity to avoid the crowd and take a good shot, but the more I went, I became more and more addicted. Every time I took pictures, I had a small regret and new ideas. Gradually, I began to wonder, could I take the Forbidden City as the main body and shoot a set of content similar to a special documentary." A "ambition" quietly sprouted.
Zhang Lei was shooting the Forbidden City in the snow in the mirror. Photo provided by the interviewee
Focus on doing one thing well
In the past five years, almost every leisure time, Zhang Lei would get up early to take the subway to the Forbidden City from his home in Tongzhou . Tickets to the Forbidden City are not easy to buy. During peak tourist seasons such as holidays, it becomes difficult to grab tickets, so he cherishes the opportunity to shoot the Forbidden City every time.
"As soon as the Forbidden City opened, I carried the machine and rushed in as soon as possible, in order to grab the camera and time." Zhang Lei said that the worse the weather, the fewer people in the Forbidden City, the more you have the opportunity to take pictures of unusual good pictures. Almost every time he goes, he stays all day, sometimes to wait for the sunshine, sometimes to wait for the clouds and rain, sometimes to wait for the lightning and thunder. Or, around the winter solstice every year, he can take a few days to take a photo of the sunshine sweeping over the plaque "Zhengda Guangming".
The Forbidden City under the lens of Zhang Lei. Photo provided by the interviewee
I don’t know when it started, and carefully observing this magnificent building complex has become Zhang Lei’s habit. He imagined the scene in front of him in the changing seasons, pondered the connotation of each design, and the story that happened here in Lenovo . "The more you shoot, the more you will feel your ignorance, and will be impressed by the profound cultural heritage of the Forbidden City and the ingenuity of architectural design."
The Forbidden City in Zhang Lei's camera is sometimes mysterious and solemn under the dark sea of clouds that are about to come, sometimes peaceful and peaceful under the sunshine, sometimes soft and beautiful under the rain and snow, sometimes exquisite and agile in the close-up of a certain eaves bracket... Zhang Lei said that he wanted to take pictures of the Forbidden City on 365, "It is a huge treasure, and what I have recorded at the moment is nothing more than fur."
Under the camera's repeated strokes, Zhang Lei and Wang Qihong felt more and more that it would be enough not to "shot in general" and insist on doing something they love well. "Whether it is the Forbidden City or the Great Wall, it is a historical and cultural treasure, and it is worth following and studying for a long time. Focusing on shooting can better capture the exquisite pictures of these buildings and produce high-quality works." Works taken by Zhang Lei,
. Photo provided by the interviewee
It is undeniable that for Wang Qihong, the cost of shooting the Great Wall is much higher than that of the Forbidden City: as an ordinary office worker, he can only shoot on legal holidays ; the Beijing section of the Great Wall is located in the suburbs, and each time he travels hundreds of kilometers, basically one shot is a weekend, and his wife also complains to him a lot; in terms of safety, the Great Wall is built against the mountain, and the natural environment is much more complicated than the Forbidden City.
But these "difficulties" failed to stop Wang Qihong's shooting pace. Years of shooting experience allowed him to explore a set of experience in monitoring weather changes and protecting risks in the wild, and he also had some experience in the appearance of clouds, mountains, fog and seas. In order to wait for a sunrise, a sea of clouds or a rain and snow, sleeping overnight in the Great Wall has become commonplace, but as long as he can take pictures that he is satisfied with, no matter how difficult the environment is, he feels "worth it".
The Great Wall picture taken by Wang Qihong was selected for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics "Countdown to 24 solar terms".Photo provided by the interviewee
Wang Qihong still remembers that on a Friday in the summer of 2020, in order to shoot Wangjinglou in the sea of clouds, he went home from work to pack his sleeping bags, dry food and equipment, and climbed the Jinshanling Great Wall at around 11 o'clock in the evening in the heavy rain. But the next two days were cloudy and the expected sea of clouds did not appear. Leave or stay?
Wang Qihong was unwilling to give up and kept squatting in the hollowed-out city tower on the mountain. When he was tired, he would sleep in a sleep bag and eat dry food when he was hungry. It was not until that Sunday night that there was a sudden burst of lightning on the mountain and heavy rain started. He set up a machine and hid in the city tower, but unexpectedly captured the shocking scene of "Wangjing Tower under lightning", and then he felt that the trip was worth it.
Behind a good shot is often a long wait and persistent persistence. Wang Qihong said that in the future, they will continue to shoot the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and use lenses to record the magnificence and magnificence of these cultural landscapes in the unpredictable natural environment.
The twenty-four solar terms are quietly flowing, and photography has accompanied Zhang Lei and Wang Qihong through several seasonal changes. They are still the "palace fan" and the "people who grow up on the Great Wall".
Beijing News reporter Wu Xiaofei Intern Yang Xinyi Tang Saikun
Editor Li Binbin Proofreading Zhao Lin
