With the advent of the Chinese New Year (Year of The Rabbit), which is also commonly referred to as the Spring Festival, Lise Liu and I decided to hold a photo session in Manhattan's Chinatown featuring her in a red "horse-face" skirt and matching top. The skirt ("Ma Mian 马面) originated during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and grew very popular during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) due to its functionality and aesthetic style.
In Chinese culture, the color red is believed to be a lucky color and a representation of fire. It's revered as the auspicious color that wards off evil to those who adorn it or have it. It's dominant in the New Years’ celebrations, and ushers in the new year with good luck and fortune.
The photo session took place in some streets of Manhattan's Chinatown....mostly on its "east" side to avoid the tourist spots. Having scouted the area, I was glad to have located a couple of spots with dark walls that would serve well as backdrops.
On a side note: red on a black (or dark) background is always eye-catching.
And for larger and better resolution photographs:
Ming Dynasty Fashion by Tewfic El-Sawy on on Exposure
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