bob_bevan_smith

Firstly, let me say I like this image a lot. It poses a question: How important is the man to the whole image? Is it a portrait shot, or a scene including a man? The second interpretation appeals to me. I particularly like the S-shape meandering alley, and the detail in the shadows. The lighting from behind the man obscures his face, so a highlight on the nose works wonders. I experimented with looking at it as a vertical composition - take 40% off the left and 10% off the right. That makes the man a much more important element of the image. That is neither right nor wrong; it just says that you can see a scene in many different ways.
The Original POW asked 2 questions: do you like the black bars, and does it say China?
I think that this would be best seen as a print - in a black mount, that would complement the image.
Then, China? Today's impressions of China are of modern cities, high-speed trains, millions of people; so no, it actually speaks of the older Asian regions (although it was taken in China).

This is certainly a stunning use of colour. I don't care whether it is a set up scene - it is a beautiful image. The darkness of the unlit side of the artist's face adds mystery and a sense of melancholy, the struggle to make a living. However, I think a closer approach, slightly emphasising the face of the artist, would add strength. The brightly-lit point of the red umbrella on the left distracts attention. Just cropping 12% off the left side, and 15% off the bottom, lifts the image significantly. That makes a strong diagonal line from the green umbrella at top left to the dark blue umbrella at bottom right, passing through the artist's eyes. There is probably another photo that could have been made here - a vertical image, just including the artist and the umbrella she is working on.
Bob Bevan Smith
Wellington, New Zealand