Jamason Chen was born in Shanghai on Oct.2, 1959. He is a freelance photographer and visual communication researcher. He left China in 1994 and has since lived in Singapore and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He can be reached at shanghai1959@yahoo.com.

This is the first time appearance anywhere of Jamason Chenís remarkable photographs made in Shanghai in the spring of 1989. Most of us know of that date because of the widely publicized events at Tiananmen Square, in Beijing. But that spring, demonstrations occurred all over China. We find Chenís text, which he wrote for us, just as poignant and moving as his photographs. Below is an email conversation with this new international talent.

Bleak Beauty asks: Do you feel you "left China" permanently? Is it misleading to describe you as a Chinese Communist? or as a Communist? These designations are confusing to we Americans. I was struck by your loyalty to China, and what Americans would call "your patriotism" or "love of homeland."

Jamisen Chen answers: You raised a really interesting quest-ion about "permanently left china" and the concept of "Chinese communist". I feel I am a kind of self-exiled person. I asked the same question to some of my Tibetan friends, "where is your home"? They always think their home or what can be called spiritual kingdom should be the other side of Himalayas. When my home in Shanghai moved from old apartment to a new apartment in 1970s, my grandmother decided to leave us for her birthplace hometown, even though she had lived with us for many years. My father always talked about his birth house in a small town of the next province. He was always proud of his town and mountains and river he grew up with. I don't think China could be stamped with a "communist" seal. China has at least 5ooo civilization history, while communist in China is just 53 year. The communist might be gone in next decade or so. but China will be there till the real "communism" coming.

J.C.