Axelle de Russé
Winner of the 2007 Canon Female Photojournalist Award presented by the French Association of Female Journalists [Association des Femmes Journalistes] and sponsored by Figaro Magazine China – The Return of the Concubine
In China, the status of a man was once measured by the number of women he had - both wives and concubines. In 1949, the Communists banned the practice, seeing it as a sign of bourgeois decadence. But now, after two decades of market economy, concubines - the "ernai", meaning "second wife" - have returned.
Axelle de Russé wanted to tell the story as seen in China today, in the third millennium, to report on the private, taboo existence of these young women who are prisoners in a golden cage.
Interactive Map
Just click on the interactive map of the city of Perpignan above to go to the location finder of all the exhibitions, screenings and key addresses for this year's Visa pour l'Image.