After viewing news photographs from China for years, one of my favorite visual themes is “large crowd formations.” Whether the subject is military parades or world-record attempts, mass exercises or enormous performances, the images are frequently remarkable. The masses of people can look beautiful or intimidating, projecting a sense of strength and abundance. Individuals can become pixels in a huge painting, or points on a grid, or echoes of each other in identical uniforms or costumes. I've gathered some more of these images below (see a previous photo essay here), taken around China over the past several years.
People practice Taichi at a square in Qinyang, Henan province, China, on October 18, 2015. #
China Daily / Reuters
Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army march with their weapons during a training session for a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, at a military base in Beijing, China, on September 1, 2015. #
China Daily / Reuters
Hundreds of students of the school of nursing take part in an open-air examination at a playground of an vocational college in Baoji, Shaanxi province, on May 25, 2015. #
Reuters
Pupils stand to form a giant Chinese national flag to celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, at a primary school in Dexing, Jiangxi province, on September 22, 2009. #
China Daily / Reuters
Members of military band sing during the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing, on September 3, 2015. #
Damir Sagolj / Reuters
An aerial view shows participants wearing blue and red coats forming an image depicting human lungs, during a Guinness World Record attempt of the largest human image of an organ, on a hazy day in Beijing, on November 15, 2015. Over 1,500 people joined the successful attempt on Sunday which was organized by a local health research center hoping to improve awareness of lung health, local media reported. #
Reuters
Beauticians apply facial care on female participants during a promotional event by Chinese beauty salon operator Samun Lisa to set a Guinness World Record at Shandong Provincial Sports Center Stadium in Jinan city, Shandong province, on May 4, 2015. #
Imaginechina / Corbis
Chinese soldiers march during a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
Andy Wong / Reuters
A Chinese teacher walks among middle school students during a meeting at a school in Xuyi County, east China's Jiangsu province, on September 25, 2005. Local school authorities encouraged students to dress in red to cultivate patriotism and celebrate the forthcoming National Day. #
China Daily / Reuters
People practice Qigong, a traditional form of Chinese martial arts, at a stadium in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, on October 22, 2015. Around 1,200 people took part in the demonstration held to inspire more people to participate in sports, local media reported. #
Reuters
More than 100 Chinese women perform yoga on the 180-meter-high and 300-meter-long glass-bottomed suspension bridge at the Shiniuzhai National Geopark in Pingjiang county, Hunan Province, in November 2015. #
Jiao zi / Imaginechina / Corbis
Female Chinese soldiers of the medical corps ride in trucks as they pass in front of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City during a military parade on September 3, 2015, in Beijing. #
Kevin Frayer / Getty
Soldiers march during a parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
Yao Dawei / Xinhua Press / Corbis
Soldiers and civilians stand in formation as they attend a memorial ceremony on the 84th anniversary of Japan's invasion of China, at the September 18th History Museum in Shenyang, Liaoning province, on September 18, 2015. #
Reuters
Delivery men attend a training session in Shanghai, China, on March 30, 2016. #
Reuters
New recruit People's Liberation Army soldiers stand in formation during a training session in cold winter temperatures at a military base in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, on November 29, 2015. #
China Daily / Reuters
Hundreds of participants practice yoga at a charity event to mark the upcoming World AIDS Day, at an university in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on November 29, 2015. #
Reuters
Members of military choir stand in formation at Tiananmen Square before a military parade in Beijing, on September 3, 2015. #
Damir Sagolj / Reuters
Students perform during a founding ceremony of a football team of Shaolin Tagou martial arts school, in Dengfeng, Henan province, on November 10, 2015. #
China Daily / Reuters
Members of the Chinese honor guards stand in formation during a welcoming ceremony for U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (not in picture) at the Bayi Building in Beijing on January 10, 2011. #
Andy Wong / EPA / Corbis
Students take final exams among trees outside a classroom building at a middle school in Xinxiang, Henan province, on July 3, 2015. The school set up the exam outdoor to create a more comfortable environment for the students, according to local media. #
Reuters
Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army stand in formation as they gather ahead of a military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
Reuters
A picture made available on August 19, 2015, shows people having breakfast in beds in an effort to set a new Guinness World Record in Beijing. A total of 418 people paticipated in the challenge of the record of the most people having breakfast in bed at the same time. #
Lao Cai / EPA / Corbis
Employees and their family members holding umbrellas line up to create the worlds biggest human QR code at the bottling plant of Swire Coca-Cola Beverages in Luohe city, Henan province, on April 28, 2014. A total of 2,499 employees and their family members created the worlds largest human QR code. The giant formation measured 2,503 square meters at 51.3 meters long and 48.8 meters wide. It represented the official QR code of the plant, named Coca-Cola in Henan, on Wechat, the most popular online instant messaging app of Chinas largest Internet firm Tencent. #
Imaginechina / Corbis
A Chinese national flag flies as students practice Taichi on a playground of a high school, during a Guinness World Record attempt of the largest martial arts display, on a hazy day in Jiaozuo, Henan province, on October 18, 2015. The city successfully set the record by organizing over 50,000 residents to practise shadow boxing simultaneously at 15 different locations on Sunday morning, local media reported. #
Reuters
Chinese People’s Liberation Army march past the Tiananmen Rostrum during a military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2015. #
Wei yao / Imaginechina / Corbis
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Around 500 therapists apply traditional moxibustion treatment during an attempt to break Guinness World Record, in Qichun, Hubei province, on October 26, 2015. The event organizer is going to apply for Guinness record for the largest group of therapists apply moxibustion together, according to local media. Moxibustion is a therapy in Chinese medicine using ground mugwort that practitioners claim promotes improved blood flow and overall health. #
Darley Shen / Reuters
Participants perform Tai Chi at a square in Jiefang District during a worldwide Tai Chi activity on October 18, 2015, in Jiaozuo, Henan Province. #
ChinaFotoPress / Getty
Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the 26th Universiade games at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on August 12, 2011. #