Qian Liu

I received two kinds of distinct education – one in the Chinese local system, one in the Western system. The drastic difference between them piqued my curiosity and confusion regarding the ultimate purposes, strengths, and issues within Chinese education. Meanwhile, throughout the years, I have been reflecting on the greater picture regarding the social issues in China, and I have wondered about the correlation between them and the Chinese education system, and to what extent it ossifies the students’ thinking modes. All these thoughts led to one simple yet intriguing question, “What is the experience of getting education in China?” This prompt inspired this photography project and a series of interviews – “The Portrait of Us.”

Qian is a photographer, and his interest in various media leads him to explore techniques from photography, directing, and editing, to 3D modeling. Thinking through multiple perspectives, he constantly explores more fields, which corresponds with his life philosophy – pursuing the purposes behind every action.