Ryan Pyle Blog: Tibet to Reopen on April 28!

Hello,

According to the New York Times, AP, AFP and even Reuters; it appears that Tibet, once a popular tourism destination, will finally reopen to: rowdy, biased and mis-informed foreign tourists on April 28th 2009. For those who wish to take note, the reopening of Tibet marks exactly one month after the new holiday ushered in by the Party (March 28th) that is to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the emancipation of of the Tibetan people and the end of serfdom in the province.

I've already written a ton on this topic, check blogs from a few weeks/months/years back to read more heavily opinionated pieces.

As for some fresh insight today? I'm bitting my tongue and holding tight. I'm exhausted by all this back and forth.

Sharon Lafraniere's story from the NEW YORK TIMES is posted below.

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China Will Reopen Tibet to Tourists

By SHARON LAFRANIERE
Published: March 30, 2009
BEIJING — The Chinese government will reopen Tibet to foreign tourists on April 5 after a nearly six-week ban, according to the state-run news agency Xinhua.

Foreign tourists were barred from visiting Tibet in late February before the 50th anniversary of a failed rebellion against Chinese rule. Security was stepped up in the Tibet Autonomous Region and border areas. The anniversary passed on Saturday without serious unrest.

Bachug, the head of Tibet’s tourism department, told Xinhua on Sunday that the region is “harmonious and safe now” for tourists. Mr. Bachug, who like many Tibetans uses only one name, said more than 100 foreign tour groups have registered to visit Tibet.

An uprising in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa last March led to the deaths of at least 19 people, most of them Han Chinese civilians. Hundreds of protesters were detained. Exile groups claim that 220 monks, nuns and other Tibetans died and more than 1,000 were injured in the ensuing crackdown.

Determined to head off any renewed unrest this year, the government dispatched thousands of troops and police officers across western China, creating an unofficial state of martial law.

YouTube was blocked for most of last week in China, apparently because of a video that purports to show police brutally beating Tibetans after last year’s riots. Without identifying the video, Xinhua reported that Tibetan separatists had fabricated a video of police misconduct.

Foreign reporters are barred from Tibet, but the Chinese media reported limited unrest over the past six weeks. In the most serious skirmish, nearly 100 people, most of them monks were arrested in a Tibetan area of northwestern China after a crowd attacked a police station on March 21, authorities said.

Chinese officials said 13,000 people in Lhasa celebrated Saturday, the anniversary of the day China took control of Tibet and forced its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile. The state-run media posted photographs of smiling Tibetans playing tug of war and other games in commemoration of what the Chinese government terms “Serf Emancipation Day.”

China claims it has invested heavily in Tibet’s social and economic development and that stability has boosted tourism. In the first two months of the year, 120,000 domestic and foreign tourists visited Tibet, a jump of about 5 percent over the same period last year, according to the regional tourism bureau.


--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: New Work, WSJ: China Slowdown Stunts Entrepreneurs

Hello,

I recently had the chance to work with the WSJ on a story about Tony Yu, an entrepreneur who helped both international and domestic companies prepare their China based factories for manufacturing. He was an engineer by trade and for the last ten years he rode the high wave of Foreign Direct Investment and a booming economy. Today that investment has all but stopped. The boom has been traded in for bust. Tony's multi-million dollar a year company that he built from scratch is no sitting idle. With no new factories and no new investment comes no business.

My description fails to compare to the words of James Areddy, who wrote the article. Below is a link to the full story and photo slide show.

LINK: WSJ Story Link


--

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Demolishing Kashgar's Old Town

Hello,

This blog today is in response to a Washington Post article on Kashgar, China written by Maureen Fan; which I've attached below.

Kashgar, in China's remote western Xinjiang province, is a special place. And more importantly it is changing quickly and it is therefore likely that it won't be such a special place for much longer, in fact in ten years it will most likely look exactly like the rest of China. It appears the local government has decided that the old lane homes of Kashgar, an ancient city predating most countries, are unsafe for local residents because of potential fire hazards and such. So, the old town is being demolished and local inhabitants are being urged/forced/recommended to move in to high rise apartments buildings; lost forever will be the social fabric of the Uygur people.

China has a habit of doing this in regions where there is a strong minority presence. It's very similar to the Tibet treatment, where towns and cities are overwhelmed by Chinese inhabitants and then in a rush to modernize, or "assimilate", old neighborhoods are destroyed and people's way of life are forcibly changed.

Are there advantages to modernization? Sure. Most homes located in the Old Town that I've visited in Kashgar have hot and cold water and indoor plumbing - that is surely due to the Chinese influence, and it's a very positive attribute because it cuts down on disease from hunan waste, reduces infant mortality and extends life expectancy. Several of the homes I have visited had good ventilation and even gas cooking, other attributes of government development. But surely forcibly removing people from their home, which has been in their families for generations, is a step too far.

Kashgar is a peaceful place and many Uygurs who live there are content with life inside China's borders; why push the envelope? Why enrage the few people who are involved in the separatist movement? Perhaps the government built up too many high-rises and now is in desperate need of tenants, and since about 42% of all the Uygurs in Kashgar live in the old town that would be the most effective place to start. While that's just speculation, similar cases have occurred in other areas of the country.

I've seen this coming for years, and that is one of the reasons why I began working on my Black and White fine art photography book about Chinese Turkistan (or the province of Xinjiang). While this story in the Washington Post deals directly with Kashgar, there is a similar procedure happening throughout the province, which happens to be larger than Western Europe. The old towns of Urumqi, Kashgar, Kuche, Asku and Korle are all suffering similar fates, all in the name of modernization. I felt the need to began taking my camera to the region a few years ago and I make several trips back each year. The image above is an example of what the lanes of Kashgar's Old Town look like, and below is a link that will direct you to some of my work from the region.

LINK: My Xinjiang Work

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By Maureen Fan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, March 24, 2009; Page A08
KASHGAR, China -- For hundreds of years, Uighur shopkeepers have been selling bread and firewood along the edges of Kashgar's old town to families whose ancestors bought their traditional mud-brick homes with gold coin and handed them down through the generations.

Now, this labyrinth of ancient courtyard homes and narrow, winding streets is endangered by the latest government plan to modernize a way of life that officials consider dangerous and backward.

Left behind are piles of brick and rubble, houses without roofs and hurt feelings. It is the most recent fault line to develop between Chinese rulers and Xinjiang province's majority ethnic Uighur population, a Turkic-speaking people who have long chafed under Beijing's rule and who worry that their culture is slowly disappearing.

Like Tibetans, Uighurs resent the influx of Han Chinese immigrants who dominate government and economic positions and have pushed for more autonomy and economic opportunity. Some Uighurs have waged an occasionally violent campaign calling for independence. Beijing has cracked down hard during periods of unrest and its tough line against suspected separatists has made many Uighurs reluctant to speak on the record about their objections to government policy.

Here in China's westernmost city, a $448 million plan to move about 50,000 residents out of the old city and into modern apartment buildings kicked off last month with the first 100 families transitioning into government housing. Officials say some houses are too far away from fire hydrants and that the old city is dangerously overcrowded. While the earthen homes have stood for centuries, the deadly earthquake that hit Sichuan province last May only added urgency to the project.


"Because many houses were built privately without any approval, the life of residents is not convenient and the capability against earthquakes and fire is weak," a local state-run news report said recently. "Our target is every family has a house, every family has employed members and the economy will be developed."

About 220,000 people, or 42 percent of the city's residents, live in the old town.

On the streets, where some houses have already been demolished and others have been marked for removal, feelings of resentment were evident. A bilingual education program begun in local schools several years ago, for example, had been welcomed by Uighurs who agreed that learning Mandarin Chinese would be good for business. But recently, some schools have started teaching just Mandarin, angering parents who want their children to also use their own language.

"They want us to live like Chinese people but we will never agree," said a 48-year-old woman in a red jacket and brown head scarf, who declined to give her name. "If we move into the government apartments, there are no courtyards and no sun. Women will need to cover up to go outside and we will have to spend money to finish decorating our rooms. This is our land. We have not bought it from the government."

A 60-year-old man with a neat beard and a wool hat expressed his disapproval as he walked to evening prayers along a narrow road that would soon be widened to 20 feet under the government's plan. "If the government gives me money, I will go. Everybody is unhappy about this, but government is government, we can do nothing," he said.

For now, community service officers are visiting families one by one, urging them to come to their offices and discuss compensation plans for moving out. "Let's see when they bring the bulldozers," the woman in the red jacket said. "We will talk then."

Chinese officials in Kashgar could not be reached for comment. Chinese authorities are often criticized for not being sensitive to groups outside their own majority ethnic Han culture. During the Olympic Games, for example, officials could not understand objections to their use of Han Chinese models and actors to stand in for members of China's minority tribes.

Large-scale, raw-earth building complexes are rare, according to Wu Dianting, a professor of regional planning at Beijing Normal University's School of Geography, who did field research in Kashgar last year.

"The buildings are very scientific. They are warm in winter and cold in summer. The technology used saves material and is environmentally protective," Wu said.

The old town is also one of the few authentic representations of Uighur culture left, he said. "The old town also reflects the Muslim culture of the Uighurs very well -- it has the original taste and flavor without any changes," he said. "Here, Uighur culture is attached to those raw earth buildings. If they are torn down, the affiliated culture will be destroyed."

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Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Corruption & Construction

Hello,

Today I wanted to address infrastructure spending. With all this stimulus money being tossed around, much of it earmarked for infrastructure and construction, I thought we should stop for a minute and take note that the collective world is throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at perhaps the doggiest industry on the planet.

A recent article in Fortune Magazine (02/16/2009) reported that, according to Transparency International, a non-governmental organization, the construction industry is the most corrupt industry in the world. An example of this comes from Halliburton, who recently forked out US$599 million in fines to the US Government to settle charges concerning construction related bribes in Nigeria. Wasn't former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheany the former CEO of Halliburton prior to his eight years in public office?

While the Fortune Magazine article focuses on the anti-corruption measures by construction company Fluror, I thought it might be interesting, in this space, to take a look at how all that tax payer stimulus money will be spent. After bailing out the banks the next biggest expenditure in the United States is likely to be construction, whether it be building roads, expressways, bridges, schools, and factories. Does it not raise any flags within the government that the construction industry is such a mess? Now perhaps in the United States there are more regulations and transparency in the bidding process for government contracts, but there is certainly going to be a lot of back dealing; and perhaps that is acceptable because of the great rush everyone is in to repair the economy and put people back to work, but maybe not.

While I don't have much direct experience in the United States on these issues I can promise you that China's US$600 billion stimulus package is going to go pear shaped in the early stages. In an earlier blog I mentioned that much of the benefactors of the stimulus money will be construction companies and firms dealing with natural resources, both industries are essentially government owned. So basically the government wrote a US$600 billion cheque to itself. Fair enough, the government manages over 50% of the Chinese economy either directly or indirectly; and at the end of the day communist leaders have no interest in transparency and no tolerance for criticism, so they don't really worry too much about what ordinary people think about these types of investments in the country. In the end the expenditure will help things, disproportionately to owners of cement and construction companies but that money will trickle down to the service economy as well. Transparent, no. Effective, that has yet to be seen.

But I worry. While the Chinese government knows how to mobilize and move people better than any government on earth, there is no doubt that the money will be used quickly and short-term construction jobs will keep migrant workers happy for a year or two, but how is that sustainable? When that money runs out will there be another stimulus package introduced? If the government fears political stability so much, and keeping migrant workers and University graduates busy, perhaps they should just call the stimulus packages "Political Stability Stimulus"; which is all it really is. Expect more money thrown at the problem in the coming months.

Furthermore, my guess is that Transparency International doesn't have very many nice things to say about the construction industry in China, and it should bother people that there could be so much potential for wasted money. In the United States ordinary people rise up and complain all the time about how "my tax dollars are being wasted". Well Chinese workers pay tax, and so do Chinese companies and so do joint venture multinational corporations; but where are the people in China asking, "are my tax dollars being wasted?". Or what about "are my middle class tax dollars being used to pacify the masses and keep the current corrupt leadership in place?" Interesting questions, no answers and no dialog.

This is what the emerging middle class should be bringing to the table, and in the future they will hopefully demand more transparency and some form of independent rule of law in China. My guess is the government already knows that and doesn't care much for making changes in the great name of "political stability and economic growth". And while stability and economic growth is important it doesn't mean that tax payers should just sit back and watch money be thrown at corrupt industries to solve short term problems.

The next 6 months should be very interesting. Many online bloggers in China were quick to point out that a significant portion of the money donated to rebuild Sichuan after it's devastating earthquake was misused, my guess is the same will be done for this stimulus package. But even if caught with a hand in the cookie jar, don't expect any government officials to be jailed. For those who are keeping score, economic growth once again trumps rule of law, anti-corruption measures and political reform.

--

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Wild China

Hello,

I just wanted to write a quick note about a documentary I just watched, it's called WILD CHINA.

It's a BBC produced wild life documentary all about China, focusing not only on wild life but the relationship that wild life has with the modern and traditional lifestyles that exist in China.

Having lived in China since 2001 I can honestly say that I was blown away by the documentary. Not only did they focus on a few locations and traditions that I hadn't heard of before, they also presented the work in a very slick, objective style.

The camera work is really remarkable and the editing is clean and crisp. I think there are 4 parts in all, each is one hour long and well worth the time. Be sure to check it out. You won't be disappointed.

--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: China's Textile Slowdown

Hello,

I just wanted to make you aware of some new work I've completed on China's battered textile industry. Above is a brief slide show of the work, follow THIS LINK to the NYTimes article by David Barboza.

The textile industry, like most other low end manufacturing in China is in a funk because of lessening demand from North America and Western Europe. David and I visited several factories in China's textile industry hub, the city of Shaoxing, Zhejiang province.

During the boom years it was often very difficult to gain access to factories and speak with industry leaders because no one wanted to talk about how much money they were making or how successful their company's were; for various fears and potential backlash. But during the visits on this recent trip, managers and owners were very candid with us about how orders have dropped and production numbers have fallen; resulting in massive layoffs. I even had someone from the textile industry government regulation agency ask me if I could call him sometime to discuss the distress in the industry even further, a rarity.

Often foreign journalists and photographers in China are not accepted amongst the Chinese business community as being honest and objective; but during this economic downturn I've noticed a real change in the attitudes of the business elite; they actually want to talk to us and share their stories of how the current downturn is affecting them. My hope is that this dialog and exchange continues when the boom years return.

As an outsider, or a non-Chinese person, documenting China it is important to me to be accepted amongst the business (and even political) community as being an honest and objective story teller. I hope this era of openness continues; it's a wonderful feeling being invited to several factories and getting to speak with the decision makers - instead of sneaking around and trying to piece together information by talking with employees on lunch break. Better pictures, and better journalism, better for everyone involved I reckon.

--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Full PDN Interview

Hello,

Early last week I had a notice out that I was very honored to be included in the PDN 30 for 2009. The process for being included in this prestigious group involved submitting a portfolio of work and conducting an interview. Above I've included a series of images from the portfolio I entered, and I thought some blog followers would be interested in seeing the "full interview" that was conducted; it can be found below.
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Interview:

PDN 30 Interview
Questions by: Daryl Lang

1) Please tell me how you got into photography and photojournalism.

Answer:
I didn’t have an interest in becoming a photographer until I first traveled to China after graduating from university. Up until that point, my life had mainly involved studying and playing Division 1 basketball for the University of Toronto. During my schooling year’s hobbies outside of school and basketball (3 hour practices per day!) just didn’t exist, there was barely time to breath. But once my university athletic career was over things began to slow down and I began seeing the world in new ways. That, as well as some classes I took on Chinese history and politics, is what led to my first trip to China at the age of 22.

China was the only destination on my maiden trip to Asia. China was (and still is) crowded, vast, complicated and misunderstood – it was exactly the type of challenge I was looking for. Thinking back to that first trip I can remember my senses tingling, the country was a complete sensory overload. The sights, the smells, the noises; it was all vastly different from what I had experienced up until that point.

My first trip to China lasted 3 months and involved mostly hitchhiking through China’s remote Xinjiang and Tibet provinces. I had a little point and shoot camera and instantly became obsessed with trying to document everything I was seeing and making efforts to relate those details to friends and family back home. When I returned to Toronto, after my first trip to the mainland, I immediately told my family I was packing up moving to China. Two weeks later I was on a plane with my used Canon EOS 1 (film) camera and 50mm lens. I had left Toronto for good. The spirit and the idea of being a photographer and documenting China had been born on that first trip. China, my adopted home, had stirred up something inside of me that I didn’t know existed, very much acting as my muse for an entirely new way of thinking and viewing the world.



2) Did you have any particular breakout moment? Some work you did that made you (or your clients) say “a-ha!” and suddenly doors started to open?

Answer:
To be honest I don’t think I’ve had a breakout moment, or if I have had one I might not have realized. I haven’t won any awards or had an assignment for a big magazine that created a buzz. In fact being included in the PDN30 may very well be that breakout moment that, up until this date, has eluded me. The development of my career, as I see it, has just been a steady ongoing process of making strong images, to the best of my capabilities, and trying to show that work to one client at a time; in an attempt to build a reputation and a name for myself amongst the competitive landscape that exists for foreign photographers in China.

What began opening doors for me was, without a doubt, my steady collaboration with the New York Times in 2005 and 2006. My relationships with several editors at the NYT, and Shanghai correspondent Howard W. French, led me down a road that was instrumental for both my development as a journalist and photographer. That collaboration also gave me a regular credit in a strong publication. When I made my first visit to New York to meet with potential clients many had already known of my work through the NYT, which made editors more approachable and surely opened doors.



3) Why China? Are you still there, and for how much longer?

Answer:
While I was at the University of Toronto I took a variety of classes that dealt with Chinese history and politics. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I was instantly captivated. From those initial classes I began searching out for as much information about China as possible: the intrigue of Tibet, the unknown of Xinjiang and the Silk Road, the 150 million migrating workers, the cities being built over night, the deserts, the mountain ranges, the rivers, and the 800 million famers…I could go on and on. Coming from a relatively quiet place like Canada, China seemed otherworldly and I desperately wanted to experience it.

I am currently living in China, and many of my colleagues and editors often give me a strange look when I tell them that I intend to live and base myself in Shanghai for years to come. Saying that I’ll spend the majority of my career, if not my entire career, in China doesn’t faze me in the least. Now with that being said, I’m open to interesting opportunities anywhere in the world. I’ve really enjoyed working in India and I hope to work on several more projects there in 2009. But China where I feel most comfortable, and it is here where I know the landscape and can apply my vast experiences to my work. However, if I ever felt that my photography experiences were being repeated or duplicated in China I think at that point I would have to focus on a new path; but with the country being so large and diverse I honestly can’t see that happening any time soon.

As an aside, a photographer whom I really admire is Marc Riboud. I’ve spent hundred’s of hours pouring through his incredible images of China from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Imagine that, he documented China for five decades during its most turbulent times. It is Mr. Riboud, and his vision and his dedication to China, and image making in general, that are inspiring to me both professionally and personally. In many ways it is his work and his focus that keeps me positive during some of my more trying times.




4) You freelance for a couple of different major publications, right? How have you found assignments or let people clients know about your work?

Answer:
I feel very fortunate to have contributed to the China coverage of several large, well circulated, magazines both in Europe and North America; and I hope these relationships continue to develop as my vision and photography grows.

Being based in China, far away from London, New York and Paris, has both its positive and negative aspects. The positive side of being based in a far off land is the isolation. I thrive on that. No industry news, no friends in the business, no drinks with other photographers. It’s just my family, my camera and China. No politics, or who is shooting what for whom. It’s quiet, and I relish that.

The negative aspect is the distance, and it can be difficult getting people involved and interested in your work. Based on my personal experiences, a strong Internet presence is crucial. An editor 5000 miles away in New York, who has never met you, has to feel confident enough to in invest a significant amount of time and money on you to do a story; your personal website has to be strong. I’ve gone the extra mile and I also host my own archive. This allows clients to take a look at new and old work, so that they can purchase stock, commission a future story or just see what I am up to. The archive is time consuming but I find it irreplaceable to both my workflow and my business.

After having a personal website I have found the next most important step is making occasional trips to visit with regular clients and potential future clients. I find there is no substitute, even in our digital age, for making a strong personal connection with someone face to face. I believe that having an opportunity to meet with my clients in person has helped them understand me better, first, as a person, and, second, as a photographer. Furthermore, it has given me a clearer sense of what expectations editors have for photographers they work with.

After those two points of making a website and meeting clients face to face, I feel that basic business practices apply: be confident, be a strong communicator, reply to emails from clients immediately, if possible keep clients up to date when on assignment for them, as well as generally staying organized and being easy to contact. In such a competitive industry every little step you make to improve your professionalism will help gain and retain clients.



5) I know you do mostly photojournalism. Do you do any other sort of photography work, such as commercial assignments?

Answer:
I consider myself to be a documentary photographer, and that generally lends itself to journalism. But I feel that the scope of my work goes much beyond that. For example, I’m in the process of producing a fine art black and white project on Chinese Turkistan (or Xinjiang, China), which will hopefully show in galleries and potentially become a book in the near future. I also work for several large multinational corporations, with operations in China, helping them prepare imagery for annual reports and internal publications. The corporate work has been both challenging and exciting, leading me to jobs that have taken me inside the Three Gorges Dam and on the scaffolding of China’s largest skyscraper.

I have not yet worked on any large commercial projects but those are opportunities I am open to. Beyond the actual physical act of taking pictures, I also lecture at several universities about China, and I also lecture at journalism schools on various topics including: working in countries that restrict journalism. I find these interactions with academia incredibly rewarding as it allows my work and my wealth of experience in China to go beyond photography. It provides me with a chance to share my life and work with future “China watchers” and journalists alike.



6) I just spent some time reading your blog, it’s good. I especially liked the note you posted following up on the face transplant patient you photographed. It’s nice to see somebody follow up on a subject they’ve covered years ago. Anyway, why keep a blog? Has it helped you in any way?

Answer:
The blog is, again, an opportunity to combine my photography with my experiences beyond the camera. Followers of my blog get a chance to read about what it is like working in China, including both the rewarding and difficult experiences that come with that choice. I occasionally write about being detained and intimidated while working, other times I make references to experiences in my daily life.

Regarding the face transplant patient, the situation with him is very much a microcosm for the way I see all of my work in China. I live here. What happens here affects me. My work and my life in China is on a long-term arch. I don’t have a four year assignment. I don’t fly in for a few days and then fly out again. I live here. I watch the country. I feel the country. And the story of China’s first face transplant recipient was an example of that: it took me over a year of repeated requests to gain access to the patient, and I had scheduled a trip this year to go back and see how he was adapting in his home village, but that won’t be possible due to his death earlier this year.

With regards to my blog assisting my career, well, I don’t think any of my editors follow my blog or see the new work or slide shows I post there. I have also never had anyone read my blog and be interested in purchasing stock or commissioning me for an assignment. What I hope my blog accomplishes is to assist other photographers, writers, watchers, reporters and editors better understand who I am, why I am in China, and what motivates me to be a photographer. I’ve mentioned before in other interviews, I feel a increasing sense of responsibility being a documentary photographer in such a fast changing society as China, and that sense of change keeps me on my toes and gives me a strong feeling, and a growing sense of right, to express with others my experiences and work.


7) How old are you and when is your birthday?

Answer: September 20, 1978. 30 years old at the moment.


8) In what city were you born?

Answer: Toronto, Canada.


9) Where did you go to school/what degree did you earn?

Answer: University of Toronto. International Politics. Class of 2001

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--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: PDN 30 Award

Hello,

Today I am writing with some cheerful news. I'm very honored to announce that earlier this week I was included in the PDN 30, a list of this years thirty emerging photographers. Please do check out the link below:

PDN 30

--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Choosing the Next Party Leader

Hello,

Having lived abroad for so many years, nearing a 1/3 of my life now, I have grown fond of the BBC World News Service. I listen to the radio broadcasting as well as watch the 24 hour television news programing.

So in being such an avid consumer of the BBC I've come to know the correspondents covering China. While I haven't met any of the correspondents in person, I don't get out much, I have begun to appreciate James Reynolds and his blogging efforts.

A lot of news agencies are making their journalists, reporters, and presenters keep blogs. And while they vary in quality and content, James' blog offers a lot of interesting insight in to not only China as a whole but in to the political life in Beijing. I think James has been based in China for 3 or 4 years now and his observations are well worth a visit to his BLOG.

My purpose for introducing James' blog is that a recent entry of his caught my eye. It provided a lot of insight in to the world of politics in China. The blog in question was written a few weeks back and it tackled the interesting question of who China's next president might be and how that process comes about, adding to the blog was an aside about the difficulties in interviewing people in the military.

Be sure to stop by and check out the blog on China's Next Top Leader at James Reynolds BLOG.Enjoy.

--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Lecture Schedule in Toronto

Hello,

I just wanted to write and let folks now i'll be in Toronto from Monday March 2nd to Friday March 6th. I'm also very pleased to announce that I'll be lecturing during that week, below is a schedule. There should be a few extra seats available and the professors of each class have mentioned that a few guests can come and visit if they would like.

As a note: the final engagement on Friday is a 1 hour lecture and a 1 hour photo exhibition on color photo journalism work that deal with some of the tough changes that China is going through.

1) Monday March 2 2009
10AM to 1PM
Ryerson University Journalism School
Topic: "Reporting from China"
Room #: 102 (an extra about 10 seats)
The International Living Learning Centre
240 Jarvis St.
Toronto, ON


2) Wednesday March 4 2009
NOON to 2PM
University of Toronto - University College
"Modern China: Change in China"
Room #: UC179 (an extra 20 seats)


3) Friday March 6 2009
4PM to 6PM
University of Toronto
Political Change in China Conference
Topic: Lens on China
Munk Centre
South House (No Empty Seats - Completely Full)
Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility
1 Devonshire Place
Toronto, ON

I'll be back in Toronto in August '09 for a gallery exhibition, more details on that coming soon.

--
Cheers,

Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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