Mr R Thomas Berner

A Smart Eye in China Mr R Thomas Berner

Publisher Marketing: I have been very lucky to have taught in China twice and visited five other times and the reason I've more than gladly returned is the people. The Chinese are welcoming and non-judgmental people. They accept you as you are; they ignore your faults. I've been in China twice when our governments were clashing and the people of China greeted me warmly even when other Chinese were trashing our embassy in Beijing or dismantling one of our planes on Hainan Island. Over the years I've developed several good relationships. Chinese have visited me in the United States and I have had several happy reunions with old friends in China. My affection grows deeper with each visit. After my first visit, several people suggested that I write a book about China. I never felt I knew enough about China to write a book, but after seven visits and 10,000 photographs I am ready to produce a book of my photographs. I've tried to avoid cliche photographs. I have seemingly millions of photos of people riding bicycles and (fewer) of people watching television in a department store. You've seen those photos in newspapers. I wanted, instead, to present original images that show my affection for the people and their culture. My calligraphy teacher, who always looked at my recent photographs of China on my computer after each calligraphy lesson, told me that I had "smart eyes," hence the book's title. I hope you enjoy the images.