Thinking About Photography
Dedicated to expanding our ideas about photography
Fan Shi San
©Fan Shi San, Two of Us, 13
Two of Us
I made the Two of Us Portraits project between 2009-2013, photograph people who grew up as only child in China with an imaginary sibling, all only child as a result of the strict 30 years of One-Child Policy of 1980-2010. The policy is enforced at provincial level through fines and other punishments, leaving a result of over 100 million only child in China.
©Fan Shi San, Two of Us, 20
The One-Child Policy in China restricts the number of children a married urban couple can have to one. In fact, nearly every Chinese born after 1980 in urban, including myself, is only child with no siblings.
©Fan Shi San, Two of Us, 31
©Fan Shi San, Two of Us, 29
The absence of siblings left deep imprint on One-Child generation's identity, The loneliest generation in China history are searching for something more meaningful to connect with others.
©Fan Shi San, Two of Us, 25
©Fan Shi San, Two of Us, 16
Beside the Rusticated Youth of China, and the Culture Revolution, the only child generation was the nation’s most turmoil in post-Mao China, but it is more personal and internal. To me, the imaginary of Two of Us is much true than today‘s reality, the progress of shooting Two of Us is a ceremony, to record the tragedy history of One-Child into memories.