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GraemeNicol posted a photo:

Yantai to Dalian ferry, Bohai/Yellow Sea, China, May 2008

During travel is when China feels at its most Chinese, perhaps because the collective nature of public transport removes the barriers that I cannot help but bring from my more individualistic culture. Though a foreigner in China may find it difficult and indeed undesirable to play more than the role of an extra in the ongoing narrative of China as a society and a culture, for these seven hours, they are equal participants in the single journey. We start the story together with the Chinese in Dalian and with the first step onto dry land upon arriving at Yantai, conclude it with a full stop. Inbetween, we follow the same narrative. First, there's the excitement of being up on deck, perhaps with some snacks, waiting to sail, then cameras come out as we watch city and coast fade from view, next the pace slows and we retreat indoors, maybe with a beer, as the first signs of discomfort and boredom begin to show, and then after grabbing what rest or sleep we can, there's the final flurry of activity, face-washing, queue standing, as the boat nears its destination. Aside from the sense of shared narrative, what makes it effective for documenting is the confined yet open nature of the boat itself. There's a lack of private space, but also the sensation, if you choose to venture up on deck, of being out at sea. Within this duality some kind of distillate of the human spirit seems to flow more freely than in the city. Throw in some good lighting and some so-bad-it's-good decor and it becomes a photographic playground.