Family photos of victims

“Lonely family photo” of an old man

Yu Zhehao taking photos of children in Nepal. (Photos from the interviewee)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- In the earthquake region in Nepal Kathmandu, a precious family photo is hard for victims survived to come by. And Yu Zhehao, a 25-year-old student in Southwest University of Political Sciences and Laws, took many family photos during his stay here for 15 days.

Born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, Yu graduated from the school of journalism and communication in SWUPL in 2014 and recently has been admitted as a post-graduate student in law.

“It’s conventional wisdom in China that family photo carries with ‘joy and luck’, for we deeply believe that family reunion is lucky for everyone involved,” said Yu Zhehao. This February, he happened to know that children from about 500 households survived the earthquake in the Chuchechepati tent area in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, had never been photographed, not to mention having the “luxury” of a family photo. It shocked and then inspired him to express his heartfelt wishes to them by taking family photos for them. On the 5th of February, he embarked on the special journey toward Nepal. It lasted 15 days.

While children stay at home, the working parents cannot come back until 7 or 8 o’clock at night. “It’s my rule to take a family photo when each and every family member shows up. They are all indispensable.”

As darkness approached, he would shuttle among tents. “One 60-year-old solitary man moved me the most. He followed us without any utterance all the way through our whole photograph process,” Yu Zhehao said. He later came to know that this old man had been bereaved during this earthquake, and immediately decided to take a photo for him. The old man was more than willing to accept the offer, dusting himself off repeatedly and sorting his hats before the camera. Upon receiving the printed photo, he expressed his innermost gratitude by Zen gesture, or putting his palms together.

He had taken family photos for 76 families during his 10-day stay.

He offered children three interesting and meaningful courses when he was about to leave: the first course was aimed at basic camera manipulation, such as focusing and shutter pressing, with dogs as the photographic subject; the second one is about picture composition with children themselves as models. Finally, he asked students to take a photo for someone important to them and write something on the back. In this way, he hoped that they can develop an awareness of appreciation and see figure out the meaning of photograph.

And it turned out that a little boy took a photo for him and wrote on the back, “I wished you stay here”, Yu Zhehao said. (Translated by Zeng Lijin, Fathom Language Limited)