The old man's posture mimics the shape of his cane in reverse. Your placement of him in front of the old streetyard draws my eye back and forth through the image. The blue jacket punctuates the man's image and shape/
This is a superb image -- it seems as old as Pingyao itself. The figure is timeless and so is this street. The man's stooped posture may well be the result of carrying heavy burdens over his long life. I photographed a Naxi woman in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, who had a similar condition:http://www.pbase.com/image/58757206
