Youth Colours - China
China’s one child only policy has resulted in 90 million single child families. What are some of these youth like? A survey of Chinese youth today, called ‘The Birth of Individuality’, has shown there is a growing consensus among them that it is ‘cool’ to be independent. This project captures a range of young adults in Dalian, China, an industrial city in the Northeastern province of Liaoning. Each individual’s fashion choice reflects an attitude that affirms their individuality and growing disengagement from a previous generation’s immersion in a communal culture but at the same time an increasing desire for and dependence on consumer products, a main point of social acceptance. Leaving us wondering whether there is something behind the outfit that remains true to a group oriented society.
The portraits seen here were made over several months in 2008.