Lao tou

In 1996, I moved into Qing Ta district in Beijing. One day, as I was walking by, I saw some people. There was a certain beauty in their appearance so I started to document them with my video camera. They were a group of retired old men. I referred to them as Da ye, a respectful term of endearment in Mandarin. Every morning, they would come promptly out of their homes to gather by the roadside beside a big wall. Sitting under the sun, they would chat among themselves. At noon, they would go home for lunch and return outside right afterwards. At about 5 p. m., they would retire to eat dinner and go to sleep. In the summer, they would move to another place in the shadow of trees. Year after year they abode by this routine as if it were their job. After more than two years, I finished my documentation. Now when I pass by the wall at Qing Ta, I see many faces that I don’t recognize. A few old men who have remained, often call themslves « old » and « useless »… (YANG Li Na)