How did you first come to work in China?
After taking a few courses on Chinese history and politics at the University of Toronto, I developed a curiosity about the country that was always lingering just below the surface of my consciousness; but I was never able to act on it. Once I completed my degree in May 2001 I proceeded to follow the herd and visited Europe for a month and backpacked around Spain and Portugal. While Europe is lovely, I was bored by the experience; everything was too similar to the life I had been living in Toronto. I was, in hindsight, looking for something radically different. Soon after returning to Toronto I worked for a few months and saved up enough money to make my maiden journey to China, thinking that it would fulfill me with the challenges I was looking for. Needless to say, I was inspired by China immediately. Its sheer size, complexity and culture intrigued me. The atmosphere, the air, the smells the colors; life in China was completely different than anything I had ever been confronted with; it was exactly what I was looking for. My initial ninety-day trip to China was almost exactly ten years ago, and I’m proud to say that I’m still obsessed with exploring and understanding China and all its complexities.
My photography career developed in a very unorthodox way. I really didn’t have much of an interest in photography growing up and I never formally studied how to be a photographer. But when I made my first trip to China, I was mesmerized by how visual the country is; so much so that it inspired me to pick up a camera and start making images. After a few years I was able to start working for some of the major publications and build a career out of my passion for image making. It was very much China, and my early experiences exploring the country, that helped build my desire and passion for image making and documentation. I feel very lucky to have found a subject matter that inspired me so much at such an early age, and I believe that has been the largest factor in shaping my career to this day.
What drew you to Xinjiang?
I chose to dedicate my first large body of photographic work to Xinjiang because the region is visually unique. I first visited Xinjiang in late 2001 on my maiden journey to China, and the experience brought to life all of the romanticized Silk Road travel literature I had read during my college days. I was hooked immediately. Visually speaking, Xinjiang’s landscape is a cross between Switzerland and North Africa: a photographic wonderland of rolling green grasslands, snow capped peaks and inhospitable deserts. Beyond landscapes, the people of the region are a big drawing point for me. Xinjiang itself is like a bridge between the civilizations of Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and the people that inhabit Xinjiang are a genetic mix of all those traders and bandits from the Eurasian continent who have passed through during hundreds of years of intercontinental trade. The people of Xinjiang, as well as their culture, hospitality, and Islamic faith, inspired me to begin this documentary photography project.
The security presence throughout Xinjiang can be intense. Did you find it problematic? Is it a constant factor in your work or were you able to operate openly in the region?
Having worked regularly in the region for years, I have never had a problem with the security in Xinjiang while working on my photography project. Much of my work was completed before the riots in the summer of 2008, after which the security situation did intensify. But with that being said, all of my work on the people, the culture and their religion haven’t really been a problem at all. I’ve interacted a lot with police in cities like Khotan and Kashgar and they haven’t interfered me.
What are the difficulties that come with photojournalism work in Xinjiang?
My work in Xinjiang is not really traditional photojournalism at all; it’s a much more in-depth and intimate look in to the life and culture. Perhaps the biggest problem with working on a long-term project in a remote part of the world like this is trust, building trust with the people you are documenting. But the people of Xinjiang have been wonderfully accepting of my documentation project, even during sensitive and intimate family moments and ceremonies.
How open are the local people to being photographed? Any noticeable differences across ethnic/cultural or regional lines?
The minority peoples that I’ve been working with in Xinjiang, mainly the Uyghurs, Tajik, Kazak, and Kyrgyz, have all been very open to being photographed and they’ve shown wonderful hospitality and acceptance of my presence in their homes and places of work. I haven’t noticed much a difference between ethnicities in their openness to being photographed. In much of Han-dominated China, the people I focus on in these areas are also fairly open and welcoming.
Is there a particular subject or theme you like to focus on in your work?
The biggest theme I try to focus on in my work is life itself. I want to see real things; I am drawn to real life moments. I am drawn to emotion and the experiences that people have during their day-to-day lives. I love documenting people while they work, while they shop and trade and while they are home with their families.
As a photographer and traveler, what was one of the most trying experiences you’ve encountered in China?
Earlier this year, I was in Khotan for an Islamic festival and on the morning of the event, the town was engulfed in a sand storm. Even though the sand storm, and heavy winds, made things pretty miserable, we still went out and had a most incredible day of shooting. It was a wonderful festival and I was amazed at how many locals braved the strong winds and stood to practice their faith; but that was a difficult and trying day.
Aside from Xinjiang, what part of China has been the most interesting for you as a photographer and journalist? Or a particular story?
I think the most interesting story I’ve worked on in China, aside from my long-term Xinjiang work, was when I covered Dongguan during the financial crisis in 2008. When Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008, I don’t think anyone knew what the affects would be in China, and in the southern province of Guangdong they were extreme. I went down to cover the chaos of the closing factories and the mass unemployment that resulted, at first for the Wall Street Journal and then Newsweek. It was a tough story to bring to life and a lot of people living day-to-day lost their jobs, many were owed backpay and factory bosses had just packed up and left everyone high and dry. Those were scary times, as over 30 million people were thought to have lost their jobs within about one month of the US Financial Crisis. It was a wake up call for me that the world is more interconnected than ever before.
What are you currently working on? Tell me about your new book.
I’m currently working on a few interesting projects at the moment. First and foremost is our Middle Kingdom Ride project. Our Guinness World Record-setting, 65-day, 15,000-mile motorcycle journey around China has drawn a lot of attention and the project itself is keeping me very busy. The footage that we shot during our motorcycle trip will be turned in to a documentary television show; and this is currently in postproduction; and I’m actively involved in preparing the edit. Furthermore, Colin, my brother and co-collaborator, and I are still putting the finishing touches on our written book about our journey around China. These projects should be published and available in early 2012.
Once the Middle Kingdom Ride project is all wrapped up, I’ll begin preparing my Chinese Turkestan, China’s Xinjiang province, photography book that I’ve spent six years preparing. My goal is to have that published towards the end of 2012.
Lastly, with the success of our Middle Kingdom Ride, there has been talk of Colin and I doing another long endurance motorcycle ride in another unique and interesting part of the world; and building another documentary television show out of it. However, we are still in talks at the moment and can’t offer up too much detail.
Tell me more about Middle Kingdom Ride. What was the inspiration?
I believe my brother Colin was the inspiration, but there is a story to this. I visited New York in March 2010 to meet with some publications I contribute to. My brother Colin tagged along and we had a great 3 days enjoying all that Manhattan has to offer. One sunny afternoon Colin and I were enjoying some sandwiches in Central Park, he then proceeded to tell me that he needed a lifestyle change - he was going to quit his job and sell his house in Toronto. In short he wanted to do something epic. I told him that we should travel around in China together, five minutes later we had decided that we would do a 60 day - 20,000 km - motorcycle journey around China. We basically planned the trip that same day using an iMac computer, and Google maps, at the Apple store at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South. Looking back it was an amazing decision for both of us to make over lunch, and the trip was something truly special.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
"Chinese Turkestan" - an ongoing documentation of the Uyghur people and Xinjiang province in northwest China
One horror story from MK Ride?
I think the toughest day of the MKRIDE ride, which also qualifies as a horror story, was the day we visited the China-Pakistan border crossing in remote Xinjiang province. We wanted to visit the border because it marks the furthest west we could travel in China and it’s the highest border crossing in the world at 5500m. On the morning we were to travel to the border, we woke up to heavy rain. We decided we would still try to make the journey. Within an hour of being on the road, the temperature had fallen significantly and the rain had turned to snow. Within another hour, both of our motorcycle batteries had failed and Colin and I were suffering from mild hypothermia. In short, we did make it to the border and we did make it back safely, but neither bike made it to the border crossing and I had a nasty fall on the way down. If you want to learn anything more than that you’ll need to read our book, which will be out in early 2012.
Any advice for aspiring China travelers or photographers?
For anyone out there interested in traveling around in China, I would only offer one piece of advice: GO FOR IT. The country will reward you and challenge you in ways that other parts of the world will not. China is visually stunning, culturally diverse and physically massive. The transportation infrastructure is great and the food is wonderful. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
As for aspiring photographers, I think that the landscape for professional photographers has changed a lot in the last ten years. In the days since I was first inspired, the world of photography has witnessed the near disappearance of film and film cameras and a focus on digital cameras, digital imagery and instant sharing. While this has democratized imagery and made the world a more visual place, I believe it’s also made the “task” of making a living from your image making much more difficult. With the photography industry in its current state, I believe that photographers interested in building their career need even greater resolve, greater discipline and more positive thinking than ever before. The industry has become very competitive, so if one wants to build a career on their image making passion, they’ll need not only an eye for creating captivating images, but also highly developed sense of discipline and focus.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Ryan Pyle spent his early years close to home. After obtaining a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto in 2001, Ryan realized a life-long dream and traveled to China on an exploratory mission. In 2002 Ryan moved to China permanently and in 2003 began taking freelance newspaper and magazine assignments. In 2004 Ryan became a regular contributor to the New York Times. In 2009 Ryan was listed by PDN Magazine as one of the 30 emerging photographers in the world. In 2010 Ryan, with his brother Colin, produced and directed a documentary film about their 65 day – 18,000km - Guinness World Record breaking motorcycle journey around China, which will air in 2012. Ryan is based full time in Shanghai, China.
You can see more of Ryan's work at www.ryanpyle.com & www.MKRide.com. You can also follow Ryan on his Facebook page.