Plateau, the most legendary female rock photographer in China.

When filming "Love the World of mortals", Plateau guest starred as the heroine.

Plateau, the most legendary female photographer in contemporary times. As a well-known female photographer in the rock circle, the name Plateau has a certain symbol.

In the 1990s, she was a young girl holding a camera in Lao Lang’s MV "Love the Dust". She was a close friend of the golden decade group in the Chinese rock circle, and of course she was a clear-cut and promising young photographer in the rock music circle.

Ding Wu of the Tang Dynasty Band was the first rock band she filmed, and Face Band was the first rock band she filmed. Since then, it has been out of control-Cui Jian, Dou Wei, He Yong, Zhang Chu, Gao Xiaosong, Zhou Xun, Pu Shu, Tony Leung, Wong Kar-wai, Du Qifeng … were all recorded by her lens.

highland

What she records is a kind of flattery different from glamorous, a close friend’s perspective and a gesture of "I am on the scene"; What is recorded is behind their stage and superstar aura, and it is the dribs and drabs of their "true youth" and "daily life".

This process is her own youth, the youth of rock and roll, and the youth of a generation-because it is "a certain range of public memory".

Return to the field

Author: Plateau

Publishing House: Oriental Publishing House

Publication date: October 2020

Price: 81.00 yuan (regular edition)

88.00 yuan (signature version)

Long press the QR code to buy the album.

Return to the Field records the ecological synthesis of the music circle, film and television circle, cultural circle and even sports circle in the 1990s, which provides us with precious materials for understanding the mainland cities in the 1990s and the literary and artistic living conditions of a large number of idealized young people.

From 1990 to 1999, every year, a representative told his story. This is a summary of youth, and plateau also said that it will not publish works before 2000.

Some memories of the past may be blurred by many people, but as long as we open her works, we can always recall them clearly and feel that these people were once young.

Chen Yufan, Li Yapeng, Lao Lang, Huang Jue, Ye Bei, Deng Acura, Chen Hui, Lulu, Gao Qi, Zheng Jun, Sorey, Zhang Yang, Zhang Chu and Zhou Ning are telling their own stories in those days, as if they were sitting in front of you now and talking about the freedom they missed. Everyone seems to be growing up at that time.

Click to watch the video "Youth has many questions, and the answers are still floating in the wind".

Free growth

Self-report plateau

My father and I are both surnamed Gao, and he named me Plateau, because I was born in Guizhou, which is full of mountains.

My father’s name is Gao Fei, a handsome guy in the film industry in the 1980s, and the dream lover of countless aunts. At that time, I didn’t rely on my face to eat, and being handsome was not an advantage, otherwise Comrade Gao would be the first drop-dead gorgeous. He is handsome, but he is never proud of it, and sometimes he loves to laugh at himself. He loves to play, motorcycle, car, fishing and hunting. He loves to make friends and has a lot of buddies. When he needs help, he will always be on call.

My optimistic and cheerful personality is mostly related to those days when I was a teenager and always took heaven and earth as my bed and nature as my home.

At that time, Guanting Reservoir could still swim in the water. My dad would organize friends to go camping every once in a while. When adults were busy, children just needed to have fun, eat well and sleep well. That’s probably when they learned to be carefree.

He loves me so much that I have always been a carefree girl, growing freely. I learned a sentence "fuck you" from the English-Chinese dictionary when I was studying foreign trade English in Beijing Foreign Studies University. At that time, the translation of the dictionary was "Fuck you". I naturally believed it, so I blurted it out in the practice of English dialogue. At that time, the whole class silently watched me being kicked out of the classroom. I still remember the expression of the teacher who practiced dialogue with me. There was a young man in the class who forgot which government agency sent him for further study. At that time, he introduced himself as an expert in bar code research, but what did those black and white bars have to do with life? At that time, everyone thought he was talking nonsense. Who would have thought that we are all immersed in his research now?

At the end of 1980s, many new things were popular among young people in Beijing, from the overseas Chinese dress like bell bottoms and sunglasses, to the "piano-picking" by the roadside, to the later rock music and break dancing, and many things were in the bud. My brother Gao Shuang is from the General Political Department Courtyard. He said that there are people in the courtyard who can jump out of the blue. My aunt ran to the neighbor Deng Acura’s house and said, "Acura his mother, my niece wants to see your son jump out of the blue." Then Acura came out and danced beautifully for me. Later, I naturally met Acura, Ou Yang and Zhou Fengling in this courtyard. Fate is so wonderful.

At the end of 1980s, aerobics was popular in Beijing. I followed my friends to the "MCA Aerobics Class" in Yuetan and got a card. Looking back now, people at that time really didn’t pay attention to it. The big sisters and aunts who came to aerobics classes were all wearing long pants. It seems that it was at that time that I met Zhang Ju’s sister.

Dream Back to the Tang Dynasty MV, 1992

After getting to know Zhang Ju, I realized that there are other species called "Band" in Beijing. It’s cool. Before I met them, I only knew Teresa Teng. Not long after, I saw the earliest performances of the Tang Dynasty in a karaoke bar in Xidan. Up to now, my impression has become vague, and I only feel that they are like Indians in American movies. One of the films that impressed me the most at that time was Kevin Costner’s Dancing with Wolves, in which there was an Indian with feathers on his head. I saved a few photos of him, and I thought Ding Wu looked like this person at that time.

When rock music began to be recognized by fans, a large number of rock-and-roll themed albums appeared on the market, and some good works appeared in this fast-food collection. In 1994, I took a group of photos for "China Swing". From the left in the back row: Feng Jiangzhou (Fly Band), Yang Meng, Peter (Agent), Gu Zhong, Feng Mantian, Zhang Yanqing (Buff, Tomahawk Band), "Brother" Wang Xinbo, Gao Shengchun (Fly Band), Ma Jun, Tao Yuan (Tomahawk Band) and Akino (Zi Yue Band). From the left in the front row: Lu Qi (NO Band), Vast (Conscious Band), Ye Qian (NO Band), Zhao Yi (Tomahawk Band) and Guo Zhiyong (Tomahawk Band).

I always watch The Mole’s Story, Niels’ Goose Riding Journey and Flower Fairy when I am at home, and listen to Gunhua, Pink, Metallica, U2 and talk about rock music when I get to my friend’s house. Later, they took me to Wudaokou to buy mouthpieces, and I gradually got to know these people. I found that this circle is quite large, and there are more people playing music in Beijing than I thought. In addition to Zhang Ju’s family, we often go to Li Ji’s family and go to Xinjiang village for dinner. The first time I saw Panther’s performance, it seemed to be in the diplomatic restaurant, and later I often mixed with Maxim with a bottle of beer. One day, I brought my boyfriend with long hair home. My father asked me what I wanted to do. I said, "This is my boyfriend, and I want to be good with him." My dad said, "I’ll break your leg."

Plateau and Teacher Han Zishan

In order to find something to do for me, my father arranged for me to study photography at the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts. At that time, the photography department was not established, but there was only a photography teaching and research section. When I went in, Teacher Han Zishan was filming graduation works for students, and Chloe Wang and I became the first students there. There are four teachers, who give us lessons on the 13th, and we two students go out to take pictures on the 26th. As long as we are free, we can spend the whole day in the darkroom. In fact, I already liked photography at that time, but I didn’t have this concept in my mind. I just took pictures with all my heart. Mrding, Gao Qi and Face all worked as models for me. I graduated in November 1993, and then the photography department was established. I came to Rongrong in the second year and Lu Guang in the third year. My younger brothers are all promising in the future.

In 1994, I bought a Nikon FM2 with three lenses. At that time, I thought it was very expensive, and all the money I earned was replaced by equipment. In order to live a better life, I got a job at Magic Rock Records. In this way, people began to ask me to take photos, from bands to pop singers, stars and actors, but because they needed to keep the negatives at that time, I never saw some photos after they were taken. I didn’t leave a bottom or anything. Now I feel that I was too unprofessional at that time.

Later, I realized that photography had become my job. In the early 1990 s, photographers were generally from government agencies and units, and few of them did photography like me. At that time, I took all black-and-white photos, first because the film was cheap, and second because I found that black-and-white photos could highlight people’s vividness.

Zhang Chu

It’s fun to shoot people. You have to "give" them some emotions and catch some expressions that fans and readers are used to seeing. Some people are hard to shoot, such as Zhang Chu, who has no expression except silly laughter, and sometimes his jokes are different from those of ordinary people. At the scene of filming the MV "It’s shameful to be alone", I was really stumped at that time. Later, we started filming each other. I filmed him and he filmed me, and his expression became interesting.

Lao Lang

In the early 1990s, there was a large noodle restaurant in the second street of Zhenwu Temple. The owner was from Shanghai, and many people had eaten there. One day, I saw a young man with long hair fighting with someone for a seat, and later I learned that it was an old wolf. In 1994, when filming the old wolf, we drove all the way to the airport in the Cherokee my dad gave me and found a wheat field along the way. It was afternoon, and the old wolf was wearing a white shirt and jeans. The sunshine was dazzling, and the photos taken were like dreams. From the photos, it was impossible to see that he was the boy who could fight with people to eat noodles. Several years later, when we were driving, we chatted and recalled our childhood. He said it was too late to do something now, and I said yes! Then we burst out laughing, and that warm tacit understanding is called friendship.

At 20 o’clock on December 17th, 1994, Dou Wei, Zhang Chu, He Yong and the Tang Dynasty band, who performed as guests, took part in the concert "Rock China Music Force" officially opened in Hung Hom Gymnasium.

Thousands of Hong Kong fans

"Magic Rock Sanjie" was interviewed by Channel V at Hard Rock Restaurant.

I don’t remember who gave He Yong the nickname "Da Zhuang" because there was a "He Da Zhuang" (fertilizer advertisement). My memory of him stayed in the 1990s. He was a very special person, and he used to express his sadness with anger. At the scene of Hung Hom, I photographed a punk boy from Beijing, a person’s true presentation of youth. I miss this truth.

In the 1990s, there were few people and cars. If you stood at the bridge and took a photo, it wouldn’t occupy the whole picture as it does today. It’s a somewhat empty city, and I feel that there is still a lot of space to be filled, including our hearts.

This is a photo taken unintentionally in Houhai. In those days, Houhai had not been developed, and there were not so many bars and pedestrians by the lake today, but it didn’t take long for it to be lively here. In the same year, the old hutongs in Beijing began to encounter a new round of demolition and transformation.

I have moved several times, including Wangjing and Sihui Bridge. I moved away and came back. I have special feelings for this area in the west of Beijing. I grew up here and feel very quiet here. Every time I come back here, I feel calmer. Yes, those years, like scars. During that time, I would force myself to forget something, which was cruel to a woman. Love and hate make people grow up and lose their youth, but the pain can’t disappear for a long time …

When I completely recovered, it was many years later, and some real things slowly floated out. Film has become a digital disk, and the small courtyard has grown up. For a long time, I constantly doubted the truth of some stories, which existed in my memory like a dream. When I rummaged through the old photos again, I kept rummaging for clues in my mind like solving a case. Fortunately, I don’t have obsessive-compulsive disorder, and these messy stories didn’t torture me to death. Fortunately, these photos confirm those memories.

He Yong’s "Dump" MV shooting scene, 1994.

In the 1990s, the time of several generations was condensed, and several generations grew up freely at that time, and together with various artistic forms rooted in this growth environment, they spent a long and short adolescence. Many years later, people think that Chinese rock music has a strong ideology, which is deeply tied to that era and political and cultural background. As a witness, what I touched was the softest part of this cultural change. It was a simple time, which was the ideal of countless people, the change of a city, and a ten-year memory that was being scattered.

I am not a good writer, and I always think that words can lie. I often fall into memories, although I know that memories can lie …

Original title: Plateau, the most legendary female rock photographer in China! 》

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