Based on Xie Hailong’s 50-year photographic career， this book tells the story of his life journey from an amateur to famous photographer in China. In the book， Xie Hailong also takes on the voice of a witness to history， telling the story of how Project Hope helped child dropouts， and how he assisted in the project. Xie Hailong， as a photographer supporting Project Hope， is an outstanding role model to Chinese photographers. Photographers represented by Xie have inspired the Chinese people’s national spirit of unity， mutual assistance， and unremitting self-improvement with their photography. This is a typical case in which both popular and professional photography promoted the development of education and social progress in China.

Holding Up Hope：

A Memoir by Xie Hailong

Xie Hailong， Wang Wei

Shandong Pictorial Publishing House

October 2020

98.00 （CNY）

Xie Hailong

Xie Hailong， a famous photographer in China and the first volunteer of Project Hope. He used to be a member of the sub-party group and deputy secretary-general of China Photographers Association， as well as director general and vice chairman of Images Copyright Society of China （ICSC）. Currently， he is vice chairman of the World Chinese Photography Union， director of Song Ching Ling Foundation （SQLF）， consultant to China Literary and Art Volunteers’ Association （CLAVA）， and founder and art director of Dragon Photographic Gallery. He has won dozens of awards and honorary titles， such as “Eradication of Poverty” award of the “Zoom-in on Poverty” initiative， jointly organized by Xinhua News Agency and the UNDP.

Wang Wei

Wang Wei， a freelance writer and member of Hubei Photographers Association， graduated from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law （ZUEL） in 1997.

In recent years， my friends have often suggested to me that I should slow down and reorganize my years of experience. According to them， I have made great contributions in promoting the development of photography and basic education in China， and it’s time to write my own book. I sincerely thank my friends for their heartfelt recognition and care. Their suggestions make me realize it is necessary to give myself a comprehensive summary， and so， I begin to think about how to convey myself in written form.

Since the series of Project Hope photographs were published in 1992， a flood of praise came to me. “He vigorously promoted the development of Project Hope on his own.” “Xie Hailong’s personal efforts have met and conformed to the public expectations of social tradition and reality.” “Hope elementary schools have been built in the places he walked by and photographed， and every child in his photos went back to school” ... It would be hypocritical to deny the pride in my heart. However， I knew better that what really promoted the development of Project Hope was not only me， but also the eager eyes I met when I passed through every village， and the people who moved me and filled my eyes with tears. I only presented them faithfully to the public with respect， affection， and compassion. It was they who aroused the love of all walks of life， and promoted the vigorous development of Project Hope.

Despite the label of Project Hope， “I am just a photography enthusiast”， and this is what I said in an interview with Popular Photography magazine a few years ago. Yes， I was， am and will always be a shutterbug. Like the vast majority of shutterbugs in the 1980s and 1990s， I went through the same process as them， from being passionate about equipment， obsessed with skills and passionate about winning awards， to gradually broadening my horizons and approaching the threshold of real photography. If there is anything special， I will quote an official comment on me： Xie Hailong stepped on the beat of the times and grasped the pulse of it.

Although there are thousands of words I want to say， it is difficult to write them down because of two reasons. First， I have always been unable to calm down. Years of inertia has made me unconsciously walk on the road of public welfare. Second， I feel more alive in my oral expressions than in written words. Several publishing houses had offered to publish a book for me， but for various reasons it had not worked out. Coincidentally， it was during this time that Wang Wei found me. She is a photography enthusiast in Wuhan and was deeply moved by one of my lectures in 2014. As time went on， she came up with the idea of “recording an all-round Xie Hailong”. She doesn’t aim to complete a “task” here and she is not a professional writer. According to her， “My admiration for you made me want to do something for you.” It is out of a plain wish. When she first came to meet me in Beijing， I saw her two notebooks full of writing. She was so serious that I decided to leave it to her immediately. I believe that it is fate and everything follows the best arrangement.

I sincerely thank my leaders， teachers， friends and family for giving me support， help and companionship during my photography career for half a century. Distinguished teachers Xu Xizhan and Liu Jiarui， it is you who have led me into the door of photography and guided me in the direction of progress. He Yanguang and Wang Wenlan， you have always been my role models. Curator Ma Haolu， leaders of China Youth Daily and China Photographers Association， thank you for trusting me in my work， you have given me enough room to strive， and encouraged me to do my best. Zhu Enguang， Zhang Zuo， Peng Hong， Liu Tianzhong， Cui Xinhua， Xiao Tongtong， Liu Zhankun， Zhang Zhaozeng ... my dear fellows， it is my great honor to meet， know， and work with all of you. How precious a wealth of life it is！ My family， let me keep my gratitude to you in my heart. I also would like to extend my gratitude to all known and unknown people. You have given me great spiritual strength in the silence.

It took three years for us to earnestly accomplish this book， showing you the role I have played in Project Hope. In the process of writing the book， many warm-hearted friends， such as Yang Lang， Yang Yueluan， Jin Yongquan， Xu Huafei and so on， paid great attention to it and offered their opinions and suggestions. I would like to express my sincere thanks to you all. All of you， who have accompanied me to go through that time， are recorded in the book. And on the way forward， we’re still together.