Published : 02/01/2022
Nearly 50 years old, Su Tangshi is a big-bodied man, always carrying photography equipment, self-named a "slashie".
This man from Henan, who is quite well-known in the circle of ancient architecture photography, was a grass-roots police officer in Shang Qiu of Henan province.
Using his spare time, he traveled all over, recording the most frequent scene within his camera, that is The Forbidden City.
30,000 breathtaking photos capturing The Forbidden City
In the past more than 7 years, Su Tangshi, like a migratory bird, uses his weekends and holidays, going back and forth to Beijing nearly 80 times, capturing lights and shadows amongst every brick and every beam of The Forbidden City, accumulating over 30,000 breathtaking photos.
The Forbidden City always surprises Su Tangshi.
The Forbidden City he shot is flourishing with fallen flowers in spring, casting moving shadows in summer, elegant and profound in autumn, and serene and beautiful in winter.
However, this over 600-year-old ancient architectural complex, under his lens, has shed its former pride and majesty, filled with just the right amount of peace and gentleness.
There was once, near the closing time of The Forbidden City, the sky suddenly fell into a heavy rain, and the sky above was split into two by piled-up clouds; half was blue sky and white clouds, the other half was densely clouded.
"Such a rare scene, I certainly wouldn't want to leave without finishing shooting," said Su Tangshi, who shamelessly "pestered" the staff while continuously pressing the shutter.
The photos taken that day also became one of his representative works.
The most unforgettable for him was the snowy scenes of The Forbidden City.
During the Chinese New Year Festival in 2019, Su Tangshi managed to get a train ticket, carrying around 10 kilograms of photography equipment and stood for 5 hours to go to Beijing, capturing the beautiful view of heavy snow falling on the red walls and yellow tiles with his camera.
The Forbidden City shot by Su Tangshi resonated with Shan Jixiang, the former director of The Forbidden City Museum.
He once commented that: "I am touched by these photos in front of me".
In 2019, the photo collection of Su Tangshi "Seeing, a Different Forbidden City" was published, and Shan Jixiang specially wrote a preface for it: "I see The Hall of Supreme Harmony Square, which has already stepped down from the altar and walked into the world. The layout is still majestic, but it has become more amiable."
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Taking pictures of Forbidden City and spreading Chinese culture
Su Tangshi was born into a scholarly family. After getting admission to a police academy, he began learning photography due to studying criminal investigation techniques.
After graduating, Su Tangshi started working in the local public security bureau, he was in charge of case investigations and documentation.
Within the heavy workload, photography gradually became his way to relieve stress. He started shooting from the Yellow River old course near his hometown.
He woke up at 5 a.m., drove for 40 minutes to shoot for an hour, then went back to the police station to work. A satisfactory photo was often the result of persisting silently for over ten mornings.
One time when he took his family to a tour in Shandong Province, his shot of the ancient architecture archway "Baishoufang" won him his first national architectural photography award.
From then on, he decided to use his works to let more people see the beauty of traditional Chinese architecture.
Other than The Forbidden City, over the years, Su Tangshi has visited more than 200 ancient architectures throughout the country.
Despite receiving numerous praises, Su Tangshi still feels that "the photos I took are not good enough".
While constantly practicing shooting techniques, Su Tangshi is also continuously learning the related history and theory knowledge about ancient architecture.
He also often contacts teachers from Tsinghua University and Suzhou University for discussions; the topics extend from pursuing the "craft" of photography to contemplating the "way" of culture.
Su Tangshi has stated more than once: "The Forbidden City of 600 years, is alive."
He wishes to attract more people's eyes to the beauty of Chinese ancient architecture and the underlying traditional Chinese culture that it bears, through his works.
He said: "I want to be the recorder of changes, the storyteller of stories, and the spreader of culture through my works."
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