Alex Blackwelder

In China, it’s fireworks as usual! Merry Christmas! 圣诞节快乐！

Kuang Tao, 22, hairdresser at Beautiful Heart Salon in Changsha.

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I want to let my readers know of the break I am taking from all things creative. My upcoming finals have left me studying everyday to memorize the 800+ Chinese characters I need to know. But don’t worry, I’ll have plenty of pent up creative energy to use after this semester’s over.

Xu Zhi Qiang, 20, waits for customers at Beautiful Heart Salon in Changsha, China. This is his first year as a hair dresser, and he hopes to work with makeup in the future.

There’s no number 1 bus. It’s usually here, waiting for more paying passengers so it can begin its route. It’s raining and I’m in a big crowd. We are all going the same way and there is no way we will fit.

I forgot my umbrella, but it doesn’t matter. I squeeze in between two girls holding pink umbrellas and steal some of their protection. I see the bus. It’s stuck in traffic. The others see it too. The mass starts moving. I’m part of this mass. Squeezed. There will be no lines.

My umbrella free hands give me an advantage. I strongly force myself into the front. The bus door opens. Pushed, pulled, I push back. No mercy. I’m on the bus. I find a seat, YES! I don’t have to stand.

American Alex would have waited for the next bus, but I’ve adjusted. No. Adjusted is not the right word. I’ve evolved. Evolved to survive in my environment. Evolved to not always be the girl in the back of the line because I think cutting is rude.

I open my bag and take out some tangerines. I offer one to the standing girl in front of me, who I just beat in the race to get a seat. She accepts, smiles. No hard feelings. Things are different here.

I enjoy my tangerine.

Shi San, 10, and Shi Ji Fu, 13, at the elementary school in Dehang.

I’m convinced Chinese love the NBA more than American people. Seriously, since when has it been cool to watch the NBA? I played basketball with these little ones for a bit. They asked if I liked the Houston Rockets (Yao Ming’s team….). It is just so exciting that I can actually converse a little with people who I want to photograph. There are good things happening, my friends…

I like to walk and see. That’s what I do. I don’t do tourist things. I just enjoy walking and seeing. In Dehang, I was mesmerized by the never-ending paths. I watched kids play and women wash clothes in the river. I’m a people watcher.

I rounded one corner and suddenly felt I was standing in someone’s home. It felt too personal and I started to leave. I looked up and an older man noticed me. He jumped up, motioned me over, and gave me a stool to sit on. He was making bamboo beautiful baskets.

The best encounters are when there is mutual intrigue. I wanted to know about him and he wanted to know about me. I was so excited I could understand what he was telling me. He’s 70 years old. He lived in Dehang all his life. His name is Liang Hong Zhou.

After spending some time with him, I asked if I could photograph him. He was excited. I was too. The only way it could have been better is if I had room in my suitcase for one of his beautiful baskets.