The Art Committee of 2004PIP held curators proseminar in Bei Jing in the morning on the 25th, April. Curators, photographers and principals of media who experienced the last three PIP attended the proseminar and gave advices about the whole design and artistic structure as well as how to improve the level of profession and content of learning. The attendants proposed a lot of advices and suggestions actively .The following is some excerpts of their talking.

　　Zhang Guotian: PIP has been held 3 years, we get support from many friends of photography field and every aspect of society .We sincerely inviting everybody give suggestions for PIP as a curator. The purpose of holding the curators proseminar in Bei Jing is to search for the direction of PIP, perfect rules and agree with each other on some problems. Because of it, we can hold the PIP better and better, even we can give a good exchange platform for photographers.

　　Wu Jiabao: PIP should be a cultural industry, It can benefit the Government of Shan Xi, Pingyao county and photographers. I think the main content of the job is, I think ,: First, how to attract common consumers to come here, namely , there are enough people to consume in Pingyao. In the same time, it can make people get the education of photography artistic appreciation. Second, how to attract the professional workers? Primary, secondary and high-grade workers how to get return of spirit and material, and they how to change their products into money, or satisfy his other needs? Their purpose of being here just wanted to get advanced experiences. It’s another lesson in other side. Third, how to stimulate people to consume. People come here not only for looking the works ,but also for consuming (eat, lodge, clothe, travel). Furthermore, I think the most important of all is that photography festival everywhere must have a base------a photography art gallery. If there is not a photo art galley as resource, in the other words, as accumulated base, the Festival just is a assembly which is held with delight and end when time is over.

　　Huang Wen: I specially approve that we regard the PIP as a cultural industry. It cannot be an“only input, no output”activity. I have been a compeer of in CCTV for 2 years, It gave me a special inspiration that regardless of the program is good or not, there is a effect .It can offer a new platform for photographers to show themselves and make the photographers get more attention. It means that the professional people is the largest expenders, however, the curbstone people is the largest consumers. I think that photography should be a kind of method, a kind of form, It can find a corresponding point .It will not only forfeit the professional taste of professional people, but also make the photograph lovers from all over the world as well as the people who don’t like photograph attend the Festival.

　　An Ge: I have a deep feeling with PIPF. The fellows from south of Guang Dong and I rent a small courtyard and played together with delight.(I’m elder brother, Sha Fei’s daughter is elder sister).We all enjoyed the process but the problem is what to do next step? What photos I will bring to Pingyao? In fact, I think photography needs accumulation, I want t be in a state of work.

　　Jin Yongquan: Domestic photography exhibitions are in a state of underway, low-grade, simple and ordinary level, so PIPF is the first domestic curators proseminar. It is very good. First, I consider that next PIP curators must be confirmed quickly after this PIP is over. We must know who will be the curator of next PIP and how can we communicate with the government and photographers. So I think the curators will be confirmed earlier, and the organizing committee of PIP can show the effect of curators. It’s necessary to do it. Second, after curators are confirmed, we need to know the theme of festival. It will help us attract exhibitions, even we can know how to cope with learning and contemplating society in advance. It is possible to get a promotion of PIPF to great extent.

　　Zeng Huang: The most important question is location. There is no clear distinction among all kinds of roles of PIPF. Everyone may be a curator, a executer or a member of learning committee. It’s a very serious problem.

　　Furthermore, about resource, I really don’t worry about it .We contact with many countries, the resources of outside china will not be used up. Many young excellent photographers appear in china, they are really excellent, although we don’t know them. Now, we come back to the problem of system of curators. We can make use of form of signing up, people who want to be a curator, ha can put forward content of his plan. The theme of 2004 PIP is“civilization and development”. It has been put forward. After finishing 2004PIP, it is necessary to declare the theme of next PIP immediately .The curators bring out the plan, It can be implemented and exhibited after the learning committee’s censor.

　　Gao Jiansheng: PIP has been held for 3 years. I think it still need to come back to originally things, namely, why we hold the PIP? I have 2 ideas, one is about the commercial culture legacy, and the other is about the professional photography culture. How to get the capital of professional photography Festival? As culture legacy, will PIP degrade itself? Or will it become popular on the base of profession? Amusement? There is sill another purpose of holding the Festival, only we make sure it, we can know what to do about the concrete form of PIP, especially last PIP, was really a confusion. There is a question about the transition of handing over the right of holding PIP to who will curate the next PIP. Moreover, the interior problems have a great impact on the image of whole photography field.

　　Na Risong: PIP has become one of the famous brands in Shan Xi like Fen Wine and vinegar, so we must hold the PIP. We have to consider that how to make PIP better and better because PIP is the only one which are held every year of all photography festivals .Who will hold the Festival? Because the PIP is more professional, I think it is the best way to make professional people do it . A theme is needed for PIP, so It’s time to locate PIP. Profession doesn’t mean the space is smaller than before. The theme of every PIP, the theme of the fourth PIP might be vogue and“civilization and development”, they don’t conflict with each other. In fact, vogue also is same with the“civilization and development”in essence. Many excellent photographers engage in vogue photography. If they can be attracted to Pingyao to show their best photos, the fourth PIP will be better than before.

　　Zhang Guotian: Mr. Na Risong mentioned the problems of curators’location, including location of PIPF, profession and works. Regardless of which field of the profession and non-professional what I said, I think we have some confusion about their concepts sometimes. We can study it in future.

　　Huang Yihuang: PIP is a kind of great art activity, so we must abide by its special orders. The organizing committee should recognize deeply that we must comply with the art orders if we want to hold PIP better. 2004 organizing committee decides to make use of curators responsible system. In other words, It’s a good start for PIPF to be masterminded by people who are familiar with the worldwide resources of images, knowing the worldwide trend of photography culture and having enough experience of showing images works.

　　Ma Liya: There is not a chief curator to answer for the PIP, namely we can’t grasp the key of PIP professionally. It unites with government .How can we combine government with unique ideas of curators? It’s the problem we must notice in future. On the other hand, we talked about the location. you are professional or associated with government which decide the sponsor. Which sponsors you will find? If it is a photography activity, the sponsors will support images industry. If you associate with government or tour, the sponsors will pay attention other aspects.

　　Bu Bin: One of the most important problems is capital. The problems what you mentioned just now, in the final analysis, the problem is the capital. If we didn’t solve the problem of capital, we can’t solve all problems. We must solve the problem of capital first. Location is for the sake of solving the problems. I took 4 years to draw the conclusion. Festival likes a pyramid, when we put all the energy and materials onto the top of it, we will give up all things of the lower pyramid.

　　Lin Lu: Masterminding PIP is a empty and superficial problem. I don’t want to mention it. I just want to talk about the interaction of the PIP. So called“interaction”, is how exhibition, forum and media, photographers and fans, and who curate PIP interact with each other. In other words, if the interaction become well, its whole effect will be better next year, we organized the forum of Chinese photography, I consider that the forum can contact with exhibition closely. For example, there are several very excellent exhibitions; they can be regarded as the object of forum. In fact, I think PIP needs more sentiment and taste of the folk. Don’t make PIF limited much by government .I hope Pingyao will be a platform for excellent photographers of China, and photographers have a great impact on the platform.

　　Xu Yong: I joined the first PIP, I impressed deeply by the confusion. Certainly, the surrounding of exhibit hall was in disorder especially. The second PIP, I think, like a market, so I almost lost confidence in it, and I didn’t attend and care about it. The third PIP, I didn’t attend yet. Regardless of the effect of exhibition of every PIP and if the exhibition is good or has many problems, It has been well known all over the world. In the case of it, if there is not a authoritative department or absence of reasonable reorganization, or cannot consider the roles of curators and whole department. It will lead to confusion.

　　Li Lei: On the basis of concept of photography culture’s and photography market, we held the PIPF 3 year ago. Because the distant between Pingyao and Beijing is short, and the Pingyao is one of the world culture legacies. It must be done well. Hoping that, first year, government afforded part of capital; the folk earned some money and forfeit little. The second year, PIP could go into the orbit and make effort to aim at“no pay, no gain”. The third year, we prepared to get return. As far as the institute is concerned, when we began to do it, we made up the plan and certified by the culture department. There were not many people coming here to attend PIP, because it is a fresh thing. Many problems has been shown during the process of holding it, but PIP has been held for 3 years, it is not easy, we are all from the field of photography, we are all working for photography. Pingyao have good advantages. I think, we can put forward some good suggestions to hold this year’s PIP better.

　　Zhang Guotian: We have the meeting today to get your suggestions, and make you talk about the problems. It’s a start of making PIP adopt the market principle。Talking about the problem of curators is the first time in the field of Chinese photography. It’s a developing and functioning system. If we do it well, we can solve all questions and function PIP well. Because of time, we have to end the meeting.

　　Thank you for your attending!