People are requested to wear a mask when taking public transportation in Xuyong county, Sichuan province. [Photo by Kang Taisen/For China Daily]

For many years, I like to repeatedly go to Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Hubei, Sichuan and other places in China for on-the-spot observation. Photographing people is an artful endeavor. When I went to these provinces at the beginning of 30 years ago, many places were still poor, and I could clearly feel the huge gap there compared with the economically developed regions. This also prompted me to make up my mind to explore and record as many times as possible. I want to see changes, especially unpredictable changes at the time. This idea is full of inexplicable challenges and deep temptations. I did not use a specific person or a specific family as the entry point of my photos, but instead focused on the people as a whole. The bottom line is not to interfere, not to whitewash, and not to exaggerate. In addition to professional reasons, it is more out of my concern and compassion for the people.

One of the subjects I am most interested in is the local farmers' market. The local fair is a gathering place for the people in the outlying villages and towns to trade and purchase. I have photographed hundreds of bazaars in the past 30 years, and I can clearly feel the huge change from material scarcity in the past to material abundance today. People's transactions range from mostly self-produced agricultural products, agricultural tools to clothing, food and electronic products, besides the upgrading of the transportation vehicles used by people in the market. The change is immediately noticeable.