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	Chinese On The Train By Wang Fuchun On the vast territory of China, the mileage of the railroads add up to more than 60,000 kilometers. But when breaking the mileage down into a per capita figure, it is only as long as a cigarette. The Chinese railroads used to have the unbearable task of transporting more than 1 billion person-time a year, which made buying tickets and riding the train an awful experience ... In this small, teeming society on the train, one might encounter all kinds of people and things. The Chinese people traveling on trains have recorded this unforgettable history of the railway system with their own experiences at the end of the century. The Chinese on the Train recorded the traveling life of Chinese people on the rail--a principal traveling tool of the 20th century. I am a freelance photographer within the railway system. After graduating from the School for Engine Drivers early on, I worked as a train technician and therefore have a special attachment to the railroads. After photography became my career, I have never let my lens leave the two parallel lines of the railroad. With the passing years, I have focused more and more on the lives of people traveling on trains. For more than the past 10 years, I went as far north as Mohe in Heilongjiang Province, as far south as Guangzhou, as far west as Golmud, and as far east as Shanghai. Over a thousand times I have boarded the train, and over 100 thousand miles I have traveled, producing nearly 10 thousand rolls of films, which traced people's lives on their journeys. Whenever boarding a train, I feel as if I am wandering on the streets in Harbin, the Hutongs (narrow lanes) in Beijing or the alleys in Shanghai. I enjoy it so much, I almost forget to return home. Life is an intertwining of time and space. When the train starts, it can be snowing outside, but after a few hours' sleep, one might wake up to see the green hills and blue rivers of the South. The most unforgettable experience took place on the train to Nanning. A girl of 5 or 6 years, sweating heavily, fell asleep leaning against the door. I looked at her for as long as 5 or 6 minutes. I felt intensely shamed for being unable to help her. The moment I pressed the shutter release, my heart ached as if stung, and I couldn't help recalling my painful childhood ... Reflecting on these photos, I could hardly calm down and all the joys and sorrows ran through my mind. Each photo is a fruit of my hard-working journey, and each contains a story of its own and a lasting memory. As a freelance photographer, the goal is not to create artistic works, but to experience life, to think about life, to prove life and to exhibit life. I believe that with the passage of time, we will surely have different feelings when we look back at these photos. After all, they are true records of an aspect of a historical period.