Wrinkles on a face, like the rings tracing inside the trunk of a tree, give us an idea of a person's age. Graying hair and slow movement suggest that a person has ventured into the latter portion of their life.
But these cues can tell us nothing of an individual's unique story.
Perhaps by looking closer to the weathered face and thoughtful outlook of this man sitting outside the Antique Market in Beijing, China one might suppose he has lived a life of hard work and low luxury. Beyond that, however, it's hard to tell. We can read the history books to learn that he and others of his age have lived under the political rule of Mao Zedong and his Communist Party of China. This was a China closed off to the rest of the world, with no influence or trade from anything other than within Chinese borders. This was a China which experienced horrible famines and "cultural revolutions" in which academics, artists and anyone who opposed communist ideals faced severe persecution.
This is the same China that years later, under the rule of Deng Xiaoping, set forth on a wildly turbulent ride with the opening up of the Chinese economy to the outside world. With a bit more money in his pocket these days, this man now also regularly encounters "foreigners" such as our photographer Marc Elias out of South Africa. Upon seeing the mass of tourists scouring the market and remembering the not so long ago days in which this couldn't have be dreamed of, perhaps the man needs a moment to stop and soak it in. Perhaps this man is taking this moment to enjoy a long drag on his cigarette and reconcile the level of change he has witnessed in his lifetime.
