Parenthood
Father Son Take A Photo Every Year For 28 Years
Having children and watching them grow up is a magnificent thing. It's so special that most parents wish that they could capture every single moment.
D.G. Sciortino
03.27.18

Having children and watching them grow up is a magnificent thing. It’s so special that most parents wish that they could capture every single moment.

Well, this father didn’t quite do that but he did capture 28 years worth of photos with his son.

Tian Li was born during the summer of 1986 in southeastern China’s Guizhou Province, according to CNN.

1986

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On that day his father, a 27-year-old artist named Tian Jun at the time, took Tian Li’s first photo with him.

1987

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And each year from that day forth for the next 24 years Tian Jun made sure to capture a photo with his son on Tian Li’s birthday.

1988

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Tian Li, a 29-year-old director living and working in Beijing, said his father even made sure to take their annuals photos in the same spot.

1989

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The father and son would often pose for their photo up against the wall outside of their apartment where they lived for 20 years.

1990

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They always struck the same barechested pose.

1991

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“The weather was so hot so we went bare-chested. We’ve kept the ritual consistent deliberately,” Tian Li told CNN.

1992

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Over the years, Tian Li said he got used to the habit of posing for these birthday photos with his dad.

1993

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“It has become a habit a long time ago that we took the same picture every year when I visited my parents, as naturally as going home for the Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner every year,” he says.

1994

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Eventually, Tian Li grew out of his naked baby phase and put on some pants for the portraits.

1995

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Tian Li was born in 1986 while his dad was born in 1959.

1996

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You can see how Tian Li starts to resemble his father more and more as he ages.

1997

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The photo series is meant to be seen as performance art rather than some family portraits.

1998

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It’s amazing to see how much children can grow within a year.

1999

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You can also observe the way age takes its toll on Tian Jun.

2000

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One thing that never changes is the happy and proud look on this father’s face.

2001

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The photo series went viral after Tian Li posted them to WeChat, a Chinese social network.

2002

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Tian Li thinks the universal appeal of the bond between father and son is what made the series so popular online.

2003

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Tian Li says that his dad entertained various business ventures from real estate to tourism before returning to the art school where he taught for years.

2004

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Eventually, Tian Li grew taller than his father.

2005

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Tian Li grows up to look almost exactly like his father.

2006

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Even though Tian Li went off to the Beijing Film Academy to pursue a career as a film director he’d always return home in the summer for a photo with his dad.

2007

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Though the background eventually changed, their bond did not.

2008

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Sometimes they’d have to take their photo in the winter instead of the summer.

2009

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Here is Tian Li at 23 and Tian Jun at 50.

2010

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This is the year that Tian Li went to graduate school for directing.

2011

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Here is Tian Li at 25 and his dad at age 52.

2012

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This is the year that Tian Li got married.

2013

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Here is Tian Li giving his dad a piggy back ride.

2014

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Here they are with Tian Li’s son Timothy who was born in the U.S. in 2014.

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Article Sources:
Source: CNN
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By D.G. Sciortino
[email protected]
D.G. is a contributing writer in Shareably. She's based in Connecticut and can be reached at [email protected].
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