Beyond the Walls : The Other Face of China
The Thirteenth Banner was born from ten years spent living alongside young Chinese people, sharing their daily lives, their homes, their silences, and their hopes between Beijing and Shanghai.
Far removed from familiar stereotypes, this book reveals a generation that works, questions itself, supports one another, and keeps moving forward—often under difficult circumstances. From cramped bedrooms to the rooftops of apartment buildings, from artists’ studios to the streets at night, every photograph and every text bears witness to lived experience, never staged or embellished. The bodies carry the weight of exhaustion, the eyes never deceive, dreams sometimes falter, yet they remain alive.
The Thirteenth Banner is an invisible banner—the banner of those who belong to no official category. It brings together a generation growing in the shadows, with dignity and resilience, forging its own paths toward freedom despite the constraints it faces.
More than a photography book, The Thirteenth Banner is a human testimony. It is an invitation to look before judging, to listen before interpreting, and to recognize, within these ordinary lives, something of our shared humanity. Behind every face lies a singular story; behind every story, something universal is revealed.
Why I Wrote This Book ? | China Behind the Walls
Photograph from the book, without artificial intelligence.
The Film ❝ The Thirteenth Banner ❞ China Behind the Walls
| A Photographic Documentary Short
What do we discover when a door opens… and trust replaces the gaze of a visitor ?
For more than ten years in China, photographer and author Pierre Alivon shared the everyday lives of young Chinese people. Welcomed into their homes, invited to their tables, and embraced as part of their daily lives, he discovered an intimate China, far beyond familiar stereotypes.
Blending photography, documentary footage, and narration, The Thirteenth Banner — China Behind the Walls invites viewers to look beyond appearances. The film explores the aspirations, doubts, transformations, and relationships that shape a generation living through profound social change.
Behind every door lies a unique story, where identity, family, friendship, the body, solitude, tenderness, and diversity intertwine.
Adapted from the book of the same name, this photographic short film is, above all, a deeply human journey. It tells the story of how the trust placed in the author by this generation transformed the way he saw China—and profoundly shaped his artistic work.
Beyond cultural differences, the film reminds us that it is human encounters that give meaning to every journey.
Episode ❝ Behind the Red Curtain ❞
| Behind the Scenes of Jingju ( Beijing Opera)
I discovered the backstage world of Jingju, known in the West as Peking Opera. Thanks to the trust of the performers, I was able to photograph the moments before the curtain rises: the makeup, the preparation of the costumes, the concentration, and the silence… that unique moment when women and men gradually become the characters they are about to portray.
This encounter revealed another side of Beijing’s younger generation. A generation that has chosen to preserve and pass on a cultural heritage that spans centuries, working alongside older artists who continue, through passion and dedication, to keep this extraordinary art alive.
Episode ❝ Behind Chinese Bodybuilding ❞
| Young Chinese Athletes Before the Stage
What happens before a bodybuilder steps onto the stage ?
In China, I discovered a world that the audience almost never gets to see.
After spending more than ten years between Beijing and Shanghai, this journey behind the scenes of a bodybuilding competition reveals another side of China’s younger generation: weeks of training, the athlete check-ins the day before, the physical preparation, the tanning, the camaraderie between competitors… and then, just a few minutes under the spotlight.
This film is not simply about muscles.
It is a story of discipline, perseverance, dreams, and the quiet humanity that lies behind every competitor.
Episode ❝ Marriage in China ❞
| Traditions, Love and Hidden Stories
| Coming Soon
How do couples meet in China today ?
In this video, I take you on a journey through modern romance in China—from the famous marriage markets and the Qixi Festival to the 520 phenomenon, where the numbers sound like "I love you" in Chinese, as well as traditional wedding ceremonies and the many rituals that continue to shape Chinese marriage today.
Episode ❝ Being Yourself ❞
| Another Story of Diversity in China
What does it truly mean to be yourself when you grow up in a society where family, tradition, and the expectations of others hold such a powerful place ?
For more than ten years, I lived in Beijing and Shanghai. Through hundreds of encounters, I discovered a generation of young Chinese people simply searching for their place, their identity, and the freedom to exist.
This film is inspired by the chapter "Diversity" from my book The Thirteenth Banner. It does not seek to judge or explain. Instead, it gives a voice to people I met over the years, capturing moments of everyday life, shared glances, emotions, and deeply human stories.
During my years in Beijing, I also served as the curator of art exhibitions at Destination, one of the city's most iconic LGBT venues. Chinese artists exhibited their work alongside projects developed in collaboration with the cultural departments of several foreign embassies, transforming the space into a genuine meeting place where cultures could engage in dialogue through art.
The Thirteenth Banner — China Behind the Walls is the result of more than a decade of immersion, over 300 encounters, and hundreds of photographs taken at the heart of everyday life in China.