太极，是人们对宇宙秩序状态的原始认知;太极拳，是运用太极理念指导，通过人的意念修炼、呼吸调整，并配合肢体运动的武术实践方式实现养生健身目标的独特的文化表现形式。它们是中华民族传统文化中最具代表性和最富独特性的文化遗产，是国粹。

　　摄影是西方发明的、使用专门设备进行影像记录的过程。摄影要靠人来完成，这个人就是人们常说的“摄影家”。摄影家的基本职能，就是把日常生活中稍纵即逝的平凡事物转化为永久的视觉图像。

　　李英杰如同他的名字，堪称摄影界中的英杰，在中国太极拳发源地河南温县工作，他立足当地丰厚的文化土壤，认真研究太极与太极拳的文化渊源和联系，从源远流长的中华文化历史中汲取丰富营养，博采众长，勤于实践、善于创新，以黑白、动静、虚实的表现手法，用影像的方式来反映神秘而含蓄的太极拳文化。他在太极文化摄影创作实践上，积极地进行有益尝试，用先进的西方技术展现了古老的东方文化，在摄影艺术上实现突破，用光影艺术来展示国粹。

　　在《太极2》摄影作品中，作者用摄影语言来解读最具代表性的东方文化符号太极图，采取中国书法和中国绘画艺术水墨交融的独特表现形式，使作品具有了浓烈的水墨画韵味，将太极拳运动和掤、捋、挤、按、采、挒、肘、靠等技击动作原本瞬间即逝的“无形”予以有形、有形而无具象的记载，把太极文化内在奥秘显现的更加细腻。能够让人们体味到太极拳文化的神奇与奥秘，感悟到太极文化的博大与精深。他的作品展示着最具磁力的中国传统文化的魅力，呈现出中国摄影的本土文化特征，彰显了古老的东方文化特色。

　　李英杰的《太极2》作品，主题鲜明，构思精巧;阴阳变幻，黑白交融;虚实相合，快慢相间;行云流水，如风似雾;太极精神，一气贯穿。可谓是在用“太极”的方法拍摄“太极”，堪称光影国粹!

　　光影国粹《太极2》摄影作品创作展览，是着力提升中国摄影的综合实力，扩大在国际上的知名度、美誉度和影响力、辐射力的有益尝试;是提升中国在国际摄影领域的影响力，着力建设东方摄影文化中心，让国际摄影领域更加多元多彩的有益尝试。

　　我希望能有更多的摄影家投身到创作实践中去，用摄影语言将最神秘的东方文化展示给世界人民，让世界了解中国文化，让中国文化走向世界。

　　中国摄影家协会分党组书记、中国摄影家协会主席 王瑶

　　2014年7月25日

Light and Chiaroscuro Quintessence of Chinese Culture

Tai Chi is the original perceiving of the cosmic order. Guided by the theory of Tai Chi, Taijiquan is a unique cultural expression aiming at achieving the goal of keeping fit by the forms of Chinese martial arts. They are mind cultivation, breath adjustment and body movement. In a word, they are the most typical and representative cultural heritage, also the quintessence of Chinese culture.

Photography invited by western people is a progress using professional equipment to record image. Photography is accomplished by people, and that is the so-called photographer. The basic work of a photographer is to turn the fleeting ordinary things in daily life into permanent visual image.

Just like his name, Li Yingjie is the elite in the field of photography. He works in Wen County (the birthplace of Chinese Tai Chi) in Henan province. Depending on the rich local culture, Li Yingjie studies earnestly the cultural combination of Tai Chi and Taijiquan. Learning from the long-historic Chinese culture, he draws on others successful experience, devotes himself in practice and innovation and finally succeeds in reflecting the mysterious and implicit Tai Chi culture in the way of photography by the technical combination of black and white, movement and stillness and false and true. He has had many useful attempts in the innovative practice of Tai Chi cultural photography. By manifesting the ancient eastern culture with the advanced western technique, Li Yingjie has made a great breakthrough in the arts of photography and exhibits the quintessence of Chinese culture by light and Chiaroscuro.

In the photographic work Tai ChiⅡ, the author explains the most representative eastern cultural symbol-Tai Chi diagram by photography and adds more ink and wash painting into this work by combining Chinese calligraphy and Chinese drawing which is the bending of ink and wash. He also turns Taijiquan and the fleeting invisible actions like Peng, Lv, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou and Kao into visible image. This kind of technique shows the mystery of Tai Chi culture in a more exquisite way, which enables others to feel the mysterious and rich Tai Chi Culture. His work manifests the attraction of Chinese traditional culture, the feature of local Chinese photography and also the ancient eastern culture.
In Li’s work Tai ChiⅡ, there are clear theme and distinct conception. He takes the method of combining the false and true, also the fast and slow. As a result, the style of his work is smooth like drifting clouds and flowing water, also misty like wind and fog. The spirit of Tai Chi runs through his whole work. This kind of photographic method is “Tai Chi for Tai Chi’s sake”, so it can be called the light and chiaroscuro quintessence of Chinese culture.

The exhibition of Tai ChiⅡ, the light and chiaroscuro quintessence of Chinese culture, has increased the strength of Chinese photography and enlarged its international popularity, reputation as well as expansionary power. It is also a useful trial to improve China’s international photographic influence, to build a center of eastern photographic culture and to make international photographic field more diversified and colorful.
I hope that more photographers would devote themselves into the practice of innovation and show people around the world the most mysterious eastern culture by photography, so that the whole world may have an understanding about Chinese culture which also has a chance to make itself seen by the world.
By Wang Yao-Appointed Party Secretary-general of China Photographer’s Association and also the Chairman of China Photographer’s Association.

      July 25, 2014