From Finland to Hainan with love

Documentary photographer has captured the texture of China's tropical island province

Documentary photographer Kirmo Wilen, 62, fell in love with Hainan island on his first visit there in November 2007. Since then, drawn by the visual richness of the place and the hospitality of its residents, he has returned every year.

Wilen, a retired computer engineer from Finland, has a special fondness for the traditional villages and lifestyles of the tropical Chinese island province - especially for Yanfeng, a community in Haikou, the capital.

He has become a familiar face in the little coastal village of Xinghui, with its lush mangrove forest.

Wilen stays with Liu Jinmei, a 98-year-old who ran a family inn but quit years ago as she was getting older, during his typical weeklong visits. Eight years of visits have deepened the affection between them. Wilen regards Liu as his Chinese grandmother, and maintains close relations with the whole family.

"We regard him as our relative. All villagers nearby know him very well, and both kids and adults like him," said Liu's daughter-in-law, Lin Suping.

Over the past eight years, Wilen has used his camera to capture moments in the daily lives of the local people, to make a record of the beautiful natural landscapes and to document local customs and festivals.

"I saw the small town changing rapidly. More and more mangrove trees were being planted, and new buildings were being built," he said. "People's awareness of environmental protection is improving, and they are enjoying a better life."

Thousands of memorable photographs are the cumulative result of his visits over the years.

In 2012, Wilen chose 50 of his favorite images featuring Hainan's people and published them in Finland before providing them for exhibition at the Hainan museum. Photographs of Hainan and Finland by three of his Finnish friends were included in the same show.

On the other side of the planet, opposite China, the story of Hainan is also being told. Wilen displayed about 40 of his pictures in Vaasa, on Finland's west coast, in June and July.

He is planning to tell Hainan's story in more places in his country next year.

Meanwhile, over the past eight years, Wilen has organized displays of photographs by his Hainan friends in Finnish cities, including Helsinki, Jyvaskyla and Parikkala.

Wilen and his associates are currently working on a book - to be published in Chinese, English and Finnish - about their experiences in Hainan and tracking the changes in the province's villages and landscapes.

Contact the writers through liuxiaoli@chinadaily.com.cn

Kirmo Wilen, a documentary photographer from Finland, takes photos in Hainan province. Huang Yiming / China Daily

Wilen and his "Chinese grandmother" Liu Jinmei. Huang Yiming / China Daily

Wilen's camera focuses on locals' daily lives. Huang Yiming / China Daily

Wilen tells stories behind the photos he shot at a photographic exhibition in Hainan. Huang Yibing / For China Daily

(China Daily 10/28/2015 page11)