The Value of Folk Photography

1. It plays an irreplaceable role in saving the disappearing folk culture. Folk photography is the most effective means to rescue endangered folk cultural heritage, and it has a unique role that other means can't match. As we all know, on the one hand, China is a big country of folk customs, and its folk customs are rich and inexhaustible; On the other hand, with the social progress and development, many traditional folk customs are rapidly mutating and disappearing. It is a serious task for China people to seize the opportunity and take all effective measures to record and rescue China's 5,000-year-old precious folk culture. This is also an area that the country wants to do, but it is difficult to take into account for the time being. The times require that China folk photography is the best role to undertake this historical responsibility. She has used and is using photography as the most convenient and vivid means to show the irreplaceable role of saving, recording and sorting out the folk culture of the motherland. Tens of thousands of members have scattered a large number of folk pictures, and the headquarters of China Folk Photography Association alone has collected more than 65,438+10,000 folk pictures of various ethnic groups in China. Of course, this is far from the completion of the huge folk culture rescue project of 56 ethnic groups in China. However, it can be predicted that with the attention and support of the party and government at all levels and the people of the whole country to the cause of folk photography, with the growing number of folk photography teams, this treasure house of folk culture, which is beneficial to the present and the future, will be built more perfect and spectacular! 2. It has extremely high literature value, historical data collection and research value. Folk photography is a record and expression of social and historical development, a true portrayal of the lifestyle and social productivity development level of various ethnic groups in different historical periods, and has very important literature value, historical data collection value and academic research value. In a sense, folk photography can be called the national "image historical archives" or "image ethnology, image history and image folklore". Therefore, this cause is a great achievement and far-reaching cause. 3. It can promote the change of customs and the construction of spiritual civilization. General Zhang Aiping pointed out: "The 56 ethnic groups in China have their own characteristics and fine traditions, but they also have their own shortcomings and backwardness. Only by changing backward and uncivilized customs and habits and constantly carrying forward fine folk traditions can society progress. " "I think the work of our folk photography association should have another goal besides using photography to express the different customs of different nationalities, and that is to change customs." However, changing the old and backward national customs cannot rely on administrative orders, which has been proved by the lessons of the "Cultural Revolution" and can only be achieved by raising people's consciousness and inspiring people's consciousness. Folk photography can tell people what is civilized, noble and progressive, and what is uncivilized and backward with its intuitive, true and reliable image, and inspire people to consciously abandon the old cloth and change the customs, thus promoting the spiritual civilization construction of all ethnic groups. Therefore, folk photography has its practical function and usefulness in the process of building two civilizations in China. 4. It has the functions of patriotism education, promoting national unity and promoting foreign exchanges. With the deepening and extensive development of national folk photography activities, many folk photographers and enthusiasts will soon go deep into the motherland to interview and create. On the one hand, they can personally appreciate the great rivers and mountains of the motherland and the rapidly developing construction situation in various places, from which they are subtly educated in nationalism and patriotism; On the other hand, in contact with people of all ethnic groups, their photographic works will greatly enhance mutual understanding and emotional exchange among ethnic groups and promote the great unity of the Chinese nation in exhibitions, exchanges and publicity in various places. In this sense, the 9.6 million square kilometers of the motherland is not only a vast world where folk photography can make great achievements, but also a big classroom for nationalism and patriotism education. Folk photography has functions beyond language, which can show its unique role in international communication, promote mutual understanding and cooperation among countries, and make contributions to China's reform and opening up. The fact that China folk photography has communicated with more than a dozen countries in recent years proves this point. With the gradual expansion of China's reform and opening up and the continuous development of folk photography, the advantages of folk photography in this respect will be more obvious. 5. It has high artistic appreciation value and economic value. This has not only been recognized by people, but also entered the commodity market with its unique charm and special identity, just like calligraphy and painting. With the modernization of people's living standards and the improvement of appreciation level, folk photography works have entered the market on a certain scale, which is not only elegant, but also has entered the homes of ordinary people for a long time, with considerable prospects.