Fading Trades

劉玨 黃瑞德

Photographer Huang Ruide captures disappearing professions on camera before theyre gone for good

尋找城鄉老行當的身影

Photographer Huang Ruide captures disappearing professions on camera before theyre gone for good

For young Chinese urbanites， daily life takes place on a screen. From takeout food to groceries， home repairs to entertainment， all are just a tap away via thousands of smartphone apps. But if they venture out of the digital realm and onto the streets， they may still find remnants of a more analog past： street traders offering to repair shoes， fix bicycles， cut keys， and more.

Many street professions like these were once ubiquitous across Chinese cities， and though some still ply their trade on sidewalks beneath towering skyscrapers in the countrys biggest urban areas， they are gradually disappearing. Rising rent， zealous urban management enforcers， and simple market competition are all taking their toll.

Yet these professions are very much alive outside of metropolises. In counties and villages， handicraft workshops， repair shops， traditional beauty services， and folk entertainment are still vibrant parts of local life. Here， one gets a vivid glimpse of the Chinese saying： “Every trade has its master （三百六十行， 行行出狀元）.”

Recently， there have been official attempts to protect and even bring some of these old-school professions back to the city. In 2021， for example， Chinas Ministry of Commerce issued an initiative to build “15-minute daily life circles，” where residents would have access to all their daily necessities within a 15-minute walk of their homes.

But with fewer young people taking up these professions， such policies may still not be enough to keep traditional trades on the streets， even in more rural regions. In this photo series， Huang Ruide captures these slowly disappearing professions in towns and villages across Guangdong province， some of them perhaps for the last time.

Artisans draw patterns on clay by hand to make qinghua （blue and white） porcelain in a workshop in Dabu county， Guangdong province （2013）

A worker dries rice flour sheets in the sunshine in Shafang village， Guangdong. Later， the dry sheets will be cut into noodles. （2017）

A factory with 15 employees in Dalang village， Guangdong， specializes in making lion dance costumes and drums. The art form is popular in the Pearl River Delta region， and the factory is still thriving. （2014）

A tailor repairs a raincoat for a local farmer in Tuocheng town， Guangdong （2016）

A team of street barbers offers 10-yuan haircuts in Guangzhou， Guangdong （2020）

A fortune teller in Guangzhou waits for patrons （2012）

In Guangdongs Xinhui city， one of Chinas largest centers of incense production， some small factories continue to manufacture the products wholly or partially by hand （2020）

In Qingyuan city， Guangdong， a traditional beautician removes a womans facial hair with a cotton thread. This traditional cosmetic technique is often used in preparation for special occasions. （2020）

Members of an amateur Guangdong opera troupe rehearse their lines. Groups like this are common in the Pearl River Delta region， where opera remains popular. （2021）

A Henan opera singer performs with his band on a street in Guangzhou. With the number of theatergoers decreasing， many traditional opera singers seek alternative venues for their art. （2012）