Naxi Elder — Lijiang Old Town Doorway
28,651.40 ¥
An elderly Naxi woman in traditional dress standing in the doorway of a Naxi wood-framed courtyard house in Lijiang’s Old Town — her blue and white apron, silver buttons, and the carved wooden door behind forming a layered cultural portrait.
Description
The Naxi people of Yunnan province in southwestern China maintain a matrilineal cultural tradition expressed in dress and architecture distinct from the Han majority — the women’s traditional costume featuring a distinctive blue and white apron (pulu), silver button jacket fastenings, and the ‘seven-star’ back cape. The Old Town of Lijiang (Dayan), with its traditional Naxi wood-framed courtyard architecture, provides the optimal portrait environment where costume, architecture, and lifestyle remain integrated. This portrait was made at the home of an 80-year-old Naxi woman in the old town’s less-visited northwest quarter, her cooperation obtained through a local guide who has been documenting Naxi elders for 20 years. The morning light through the courtyard gate creates a natural soft-box illumination on her face and costume. Shot on a 50mm prime at f/2.8.
