Faces in time

Wang Hongdie, 81, a retired doctor, becomes serious and professional when holding a stethoscope. [Photo by Seven Yu / For Shanghai Star]

If you open a magazine it may seem that all the lenses in the world are trained on the faces of the young and beautiful. But when those lenses are turned toward the elderly, one may find their faces can be very soothing, their wrinkles tell stories of laughter and kindness.

In the lead up to the Chongyang Festival, a festival that pays respect to the elderly, which falls on Oct 2, photographer Seven Yu and his colleagues from MUSEE FOTO, a Shanghai-based photo studio, visited the Luoshan Nursing Home in Shanghai Pudong New Area and took pictures of 33 of the residents.

Ahead of their visit, Yu and his colleagues asked the nursing home what sort of work the residents had done in their younger years. The photographers searched the Internet and fl ea markets looking for items related to their vocations, like a stethoscope or an abacus, to use as props for the photo shoot.

"For their entire lives, they did one job and loved one person, that is the unique spirit of our grandparent's time," Yu says. The elderly people were surprised and touched to see the tools that recalled the memorable experiences of their youth.

Chi Mugen, 78, used to work at the Shanghai Warrior Shoes Factory. "That's it, the smell of rubber shoes, I was in it for four decades," said the old man, beaming with excitement. Many elderly people are a little nervous before the camera. Yu and his colleagues chatted with them and praised and encouraged them until their faces brightened with a sincere smile.

"I hope the photos can remind young people to spend more time with their parents and record their smiles," Yu says.

If you go:

MUSEE FOTO

B101-103, Red Town, 570 West Huaihai Road, Changning district, Shanghai

021-5258-1520