Cover

Publisher Note

In his project Community Fire, the photographer Zhang Xiao takes a local, hometown look at Shehuo (社火), a Chinese Spring Festival tradition celebrated in rural Northern Chinese communities that includes temple fairs, dragon dances, and storytelling.

Shehuo— literally, “community fire”—is devoted to the worship of land and fire, and boasts a history of many thousands of years. During the festival, people hold ceremonies, pray for the next year’s good harvest, and confer blessings of peace and safety on all family members. However, what was once a heterogeneous cultural tradition with myriad regional variations has largely become a tourist-facing, consumption-oriented enterprise. In the early 2000s, Shehuo received an “intangible cultural heritage” designation from the People’s Republic of China, resulting in increased funding in exchange for greater government involvement. While altering the practitioners’ relation to Shehuo, this change expresses itself most visually in the way costumes and props have been replaced with newer, cheaper products from online shopping websites. Zhang’s colorful and fantastical photographs capture how these mass-produced substitutions have transformed the practice of Shehuo.
Community Fire—with essays in English and Chinese—is a dynamic visual exploration of one of China’s oldest traditions.

Photobook

Community Fire

by Zhang Xiao

Publisher
Release Place New York, NY, United States of America
Edition 1st edition
Release Date 2023
Credits
Artist: Zhang Xiao
Identifiers
ISBN-13: 9781597115452
Work  
Topics Chinese Festival, Cultural Traditions, Shehuo
Language English, Simplified Chinese
Format Hardcover
Dimensions 18.6 × 24.2 cm
Pages 182