When I was on a different assignment in a rural area of Shaanxi province (China), I met a family. One of the grandmothers had passed away and they unexpectedly invited me to shoot the funeral for two days. They treated me like a family member, and the experience was unforgettable. I was deeply impressed by the way moments of intense grief and moments of happiness alternated: people were cooking together, playing cards, having a lot of food, alcohol and smoke... at times it even felt like a joyful Chinese New Year celebration. I was really grateful for meeting such amazing people and kept in touch with them.
