Danielle and Joe Tymczyszyn (Pronounced “Tim-chisen”), Americans living in Beijing, recently returned from a fascinating visit to Myanmar, a country opening up to international tourism.

Joe is a photographer and in the capital, Yangon, was delighted to discover Cosplay performances, as he continues to explain. This is a form of science fiction fantasies where young people dress up in costumes from the stories. Today it also takes in much from the comic book world. In Beijing they are held regularly at the National Convention Centre next to the Olympic Green. They can attract several thousand people dressing up.

Track one

In Myanmar when I walked on the streets I could walk up to anybody and say “I would like to take your picture’

They could understand English and 90% of the people would say “Yes”

That is a higher percentage than almost anywhere else in the world

It was a kind of heaven for photography

You were taking a lot of photographs of people dressed up in costumes – Cosplay

They had a Cosplay costume show in Myanmar

About 150 young people dressed up in costumes

That is very new and abnormal there

It was very similar to what they have in Beijing for Cosplay,

Except in Beijing there may be 2/3000 people in costumes at a show in the National Convention Centre

Whereas there, maybe 150 in a small hotel

It was you who introduced me to Cosplay – I had never heard of it before

I hadn’t either but a friend told me I would have fun as a photographer if I went to a Cosplay sow

And she told me where there was one in Beijing and the website where you can see all the Cosplay shows in China

Really fun because there, 100% of the people I ask if I can take their picture say “Yes”

Because they do not dress up in a costume to not be noticed and not be photographed

In the Beijing one you would be swarmed with other photographers

Actually it is not so bad – there aren’t that many photographers

There are a lot of people posing

So except for the top 5% of the finest costumes the other 95% probably do not have a photographer around them

Questions

1. Why was Myanmar a ‘heaven for photography”?

2. Why does Joe go to Cosplay shows?

3. Where is Cosplay held in Beijing?

4. Why are people at Cosplay happy to be photographed?

5. What percentage of participants dress up in really fancy costumes?