Nicole Geist, China girls (PEOPLE 2024)

On a recent trip to China, i came across a fad that's happening over there now, where it’s cool to get dressed up in traditional dress and go to areas/locations of significance and get photos done. Mainly young women and children in full make up and gorgeous dress. Each had a boyfriend, father or brother in tow, taking the photos for them. It was a juxtaposition. Ancient traditions being celebrated in a modern world for their social media - sneakers peeking out from under their dress’s and mobile phones in hand. You can also see the difference in northern and southern dress. North was more heavy silks with full embroidery. Southern was more flimsily light gossamer materials for the hotter, humid conditions. Many of these shots were taken inside the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, the Lingering gardens in Suzhou, and the streets surrounding the locations.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.