Fragments of the past

Macau has changed so rapidly in the past half a century, that today it would be barely recognizable to previous generations.  Many of the historical images that we have of the city from the 1960’s and 70’s were taken by Ou Ping, a photographer and photojournalist at Macao Daily News for over 40 years.   He was one of the early members of the Photographic Society of Macao, and his work has been displayed at numerous public exhibitions.  The 88-year-old kindly spoke to us about his long career and his rare images of old Macau

 

I started being interested in photography with my friends in the early 60s. It was a time when the economic conditions were quite bad. Fortunately, I met a group of young people who also loved taking photographs, but the cost of photography equipment was very pricey, so we just bought second-handed equipment.  We even built a ‘wooden box’ to get film developed, along with our DIY Light Box made from glass.

 

At the beginning, we did not have enough photography gear and did not make a lot of money, so we only made do with old gear. Macau in the 1960s was starkly different from today’s Macau. It was a fishing village with a small population. People made a living by working in handicraft industries such as producing firecrackers, incense or working as fishermen. So, they were the subjects of our photography. When we were strolling in the street, they were very friendly to us and let us take as many photos as we wanted. Thus, our subjects were also the scenery in Macau, which was very tranquil and relaxed at that time.

 

I used to take photographs of newsworthy events, particularly fires. The most unforgettable fire took place on Rua da Doca do Lam Mau, which used to be packed with nearly a thousand wooden huts. The most acute fire happened in 1970 when hundreds of huts were burnt. I remember myself running into the fire scene taking photos, trying to document it.

 

The Photographic Society of Macao was founded 62 years ago with only around 20 members. It was a difficult time to run the society with such a gloomy economy and so few people, so we only studied each other’s work. In the late 1960s, I was elected as one of the board members. At that time, people were reluctant to take on the role because it was an arduous task. Therefore, I was continuously elected as the president for 16 years. Only after the Handover, we changed the system to the General Assembly, so I took different roles including the president, vice-president and secretary of the general assembly over the years. Fortunately, there has always been a group of members who passionately exercise the goals of the society, which is to promote photography activities and nurture emerging photographers. Subsequently, we started expanding our overseas activities and cooperation with other regions.

 

Photography is a type of cultural activity and a form of creation. Many people looked upon photography and thought that it was worthless and prodigal. My friends and I just ignored these views because what we wanted to do was to reflect the social conditions and the lived experiences of the lower-class people through our work. In my opinion, photography is very different from painting. Paintings can be created with brushes subject to the ideas of the artists, while photography places a strong emphasis on documentary. A photo is an international language itself, and we wanted to promote photography to document different subjects in society. Nowadays, people appreciate our work because not many people were able to document the moments of Macau decades ago. But at that time, we just wanted to keep those images – a part of Macau’s history that never vanished after hundreds of years.

 

 

Macau has turned upside down from a backward fishing village with a small population. The rapid development in the recent years is based on the hard work done by the older generations. Although the changes have been drastic since the Handover, social development is accumulative, therefore, I think the people of Macau should not forget those who overcame difficulties and fought for today’s Macau. Moreover, one special thing about the people of Macau in the past is that they were always honest, steady and hard-working, the entire community was very friendly, welcoming and warm.

 

What touched me the most was the human warmth among people. For example, the old newspaper office was situated near Rua da Praia do Manduco. One day, a family lost a little girl. At that time, the neighborhood was very helpful and enthusiastic. They used megaphones to look for her everywhere. Eventually, they found the girl. Moreover, since life back then was difficult, some people were obliged to give rice to the poor. At that time, Macau people were enthusiastic and willing to help people. These are the feelings I felt the most over the years.

 

Of course not a reporter, but I do not call myself an artist, but mainlyphotography enthusiast.

 

Digital photography is the mainstream now, which is very convenient for photographers. But the downside is that the documentary element is compromised as the images can easily be edited or photoshopped as opposed to film photography.

 

 

I have both scenery and documentary photography on hand. I think they have different compositions. So, I can’t select the best photos, but the photos that have been displayed in the past were all my favorites. My collection of Macao’s Old Things published by the Macau Art Museum in 2005 is more precious, now it is really hard to find, because it preserves the history of Macau.

 

In general, my photos are determined by my needs. I think other people’s photos are for reference only and cannot be copied. The creation should have a subjective intention. Beginners can refer to the work, but they should have their own style.