The outsider

When I first met with Yang, he gave out an impressively different feeling.

The 180 centimeter tall man was wearing a cotton quilted dark blue overcoat, the kind which was very popular in China during the 1960s. Yet, he also wore a light brown plaid beret, a style popular in Western colleges, and a pair of mittens of the same dark blue color.

Yang doesn't communicate well face to face, especially with someone new. During our hour or so interview, he remained very passive when it came to conversation. He told the Global Times that he used to be very talkative as a kid, but he also had a problem with stammering. As he grew he gradually came to feel it was better not to speak at all than make a mistake.

Yet, he is quick of mind and is more than capable of conveying biting observations in his writing. Looking at his photos it is also very easy for viewers to see that he is also capable of sharing his thoughts through his photographs.

Yang said he likes to take photos with a certain theme. Like I Am A Crown, another work of his, which shows how people today wear different masks when living in society and meeting different people. Teenager, Teenager is a self reflection of his teenager years: about his dreams, experiences and restrictions.

Having spent three years on his Love in Beijing project, Yang is finally talking about exhibiting these photos with an art institute in Taiwan.