9 min read1 Nadav Kander – Chongqing I, Chongqing Municipality
Nadav Kander’s trips to China
For his Yangtze1 photos Nadav Kander came to China2 several times in 2005 to 2007, visited 186 cities and traveled along the world’s third-largest river, from the spring in the Himalaya to the mouth.
Humans are usually just portrayed as small figures next to a gigantic setting, either the river3 itself or one of the numerous construction projects. The Chinese people shown are often merely victims of the unstoppable change flowing through China with an enormous force comparable to that of the Yangtze River.
Old, traditional buildings and housing boats are replaced by gigantic anonymous buildings, reducing the human to the role of a spectator rather than a maker.
Video: Nadav Kander’s opinions on the purpose of photography, the rapid change of China & his own identity
More people live along the Yangtze’s banks than in the whole of the United States, that is one in every eighteen people on the planet. […] This extraordinary and vast river is embedded in the consciousness of the Chinese. It is much more than a waterway. It contains their history and their folklore. It runs in the blood of the people.
China is a nation that appears to be severing its roots by destroying its past. Demolition and construction were everywhere on such a scale that I was unsure if what I was seeing was being built or destroyed, destroyed or built.
About the Yangtze River
What makes the Yangtze River unique?
The Yangtze River is widely known for being one of the most interesting and visually distinct rivers globally. It has different names based on what regions it goes through: Jinsha, Tongtian, Blue River, Yangzi Jiang, Jing Jiang, and even the Sichuan River. According to researchers, another remarkable Yangtze River fact is that the earliest evidence of human activity found near it was stated to be around 27000 years ago.
What the river is known for
The Yangtze River basin is known for the fact that this is a grain and rice-producing region. People also produce barley and wheat here, as well as maize, beans, and cotton. Interestingly, the river first appeared on the European maps under the name Quiansui or Quian, both named Marco Polo. It’s still safe to say that this river is iconic for China and it continues to help the local economy67 greatly.
How long is the Yangtze River?
The Yangtze River covers most of China and it*s more than 6000km in length. Out of those, around 2800km are navigable. One of the main Yangtze River facts is that this is the longest river in Asia (6.300 km) and the second one in the world regarding their water debt (103 m).
The watershed of this river alone is more than 695000 square miles, so it does cover a significant amount of space, which is quite impressive. Some ocean vessels can travel 1000 miles on the river. If you have a smaller boat, you will be able to travel even further than that when necessary.
Dams & floods
You will also be impressed that the Yangtze River is home to one of the oldest dam-free irrigation systems named the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project on the western side of Chengdu. The first dam created on the Yangtze River was the Gezhouba Dam, but the largest one is the Three Gorges Dam89, finished in 1998.
What a lot of people dislike is the fact that the Yangtze River valley floods every summer1011, however, river dikes made it accessible for people to live in the valley.
Photos
Chongqing
2 Nadav Kander – Chongqing II, Chongqing Municipality, 20063 Nadav Kander – Chongqing III, Chongqing Municipality4 Nadav Kander – Chongqing IV (Sunday Picnic), Chongqing Municipality, 20065 Nadav Kander – Chongqing VI (Sunday Afternoon), Chongqing Municipality, 20066 Nadav Kander – Chongqing VII (Washing Bike), Chongqing Municipality, 20077 Nadav Kander – Chongqing VIII, Chongqing Municipality, 20078 Nadav Kander – Chongqing XI, Chongqing Municipality, 20079 Nadav Kander – Chongqing XIV, Chongqing Municipality, 200610 Nadav Kander – Chongqing XV, Chongqing Municipality, 200611 Nadav Kander – Chongqing XVI, Sunday Morning, Chongqing Municipality, 200612 Nadav Kander – Chongqing XVIII, Chongqing Municipality, 200613 Nadav Kander – Fengjie III (Monument to Progress and Prosperity), Chongqing Municipality, 200714 Nadav Kander – Fuling I, Chongqing Municipality, 200615 Nadav Kander – Old Fengdu I (Realm of the Dead), Chongqing Municipality, 200616 Nadav Kander – Old Fengdu II, (Looking At New Fengdu), Chongqing Municipality, 200617 Nadav Kander – Old Fengdu III, Chongqing Municipality, 200618 Nadav Kander – Wanzhou I, Chongqing Municipality, 2007
Hubei Province
19 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam I (The State is Shattered, Mountains and Rivers Remain), Yichang, Hubei Province20 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam II, Yichang, Hubei Province, 200721 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam III, Yichang, Hubei Province, 200722 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam IV (Flood Level), Yichang, Hubei Province, 200723 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam V, Yichang, Hubei Province, 200724 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam VI, Yichang, Hubei Province, 200725 Nadav Kander – Three Gorges Dam VII, Yichang, Hubei Province, 200726 Nadav Kander – Wu Gorge, Hubei Province27 Nadav Kander – Xiling Gorge I, Hubei Province, 200728 Nadav Kander – Xiling Gorge III, Hubei Province, 2007
Jiangsu Province
29 Nadav Kander – Nanjing I, Jiangsu Province, 200730 Nadav Kander – Nanjing II (Metal Palm), Jiangsu Province, 200731 Nadav Kander – Nanjing III (after Las Vegas), Jiangsu Province, 200732 Nadav Kander – Nanjing IV, Jiangsu Province, 200733 Nadav Kander – Nanjing V, Jiangsu Province, 200734 Nadav Kander – Nanjing VII (Noah’s Ark), Jiangsu Province, 2007
Qinghai Province
35 Nadav Kander – Kekexili, Qinghai Province, 200736 Nadav Kander – Qinghai Province I, 200737 Nadav Kander – Qinghai Province II, 200738 Nadav Kander – Qinghai Province III, 200739 Nadav Kander – Qingzang Railway, Qinghai Province, 200740 Nadav Kander – Yangtze Source VII (Between Heaven And Earth), Qinghai Province
Shanghai Province
41 Nadav Kander – Changxing Island I (Island of Oranges) Shanghai42 Nadav Kander – Changxing Island II, Shanghai, 200643 Nadav Kander – Changxing Island III, Shanghai, 200644 Nadav Kander – Mouth I (Wusongkou – Where River Meets Sea), near Shanghai, 200645 Nadav Kander – Mouth IV, near Shanghai, 200746 Nadav Kander – Mouth V, near Shanghai, 200747 Nadav Kander – Mouth VI, near Shanghai, 200748 Nadav Kander – Mouth VII, near Shanghai, 200749 Nadav Kander – Pudong I, Shanghai, 200750 Nadav Kander – Shanghai I, 200651 Nadav Kander – Shanghai II, 200652 Nadav Kander – Shanghai IV, 200653 Nadav Kander – Shanghai V, 2006
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