1986 Villagers, Yunnan Province

This photograph was made in 1986 in a small rural town in Yunnan Province, a region known for its diverse ethnic cultures, terraced agriculture, and remote mountain communities. I encountered these three villagers — two elders and a young boy — standing along a narrow, muddy lane lined with brick and plaster homes typical of Yunnan’s older neighborhoods.

The expressions tell a layered story. The elders stand with a mixture of reserve and quiet familiarity, wearing work jackets common among farmers and laborers during this era. The boy, positioned between them, looks directly into the camera with a striking steadiness, his shoes caked in mud from the unpaved road. Bicycles against the wall, basins, buckets, and damp brickwork all hint at the rhythms of everyday life.

In the mid-1980s, many rural areas of Yunnan remained largely unchanged by modernization. This photograph captures a moment of community and generational continuity at a time when China’s economic reforms were beginning to ripple outward from the cities but had not yet transformed remote provinces like Yunnan. It serves as a record of people whose daily routines were rooted in agricultural work, shared living spaces, and deep family ties.