A Large-Scale Public Interest Action: Free Portraits for Farmers (8 Months, 12,800 Participants) with Documented Publication

On April 28, 2012, the CPL Chengdu Photographers Association launched what the record calls “the world’s first public interest action to photograph ten thousand farmers,” implemented in Chengdu over eight months. The record reports “clear documentation of 12,800 farmers photographed on-site, printed on-site, framed on-site, and presented as gifts,” and describes it as another world record created by the association.

Funding is recorded as 300,000 yuan allocated by the Chengdu Federation of Literary and Art Circles, with the association contributing an additional 300,000 yuan in non-cash resources. The record notes that the name of the initiative was given by the federation’s then secretary, and that after the action succeeded, the federation held a dedicated celebration meeting and mentioned the contribution of the action to annual performance objectives.

After the initiative, a report was filed and an extensive verification process followed: the disciplinary inspection group conducted an eight-month investigation involving sampling and telephone verification. The record asserts that “even if 13% were not photographed, photographing ten thousand farmers was still a solid, verifiable outcome.” The results were later published in a book titled “Free Portraits for Farmers,” described as containing name-based evidence for the farmers who participated.