Photo Essay : "Life is but one very long circus"

This photo was taken on the streets of Chongqing, China, when I was there on vacation with my family. The girl is a street acrobat who does stunts to "beg" for money which ultimately goes to a syndicate. If you look closely, you will realise she is actally spinning herself on her mouth which she uses to hold on to a contraption by biting. Why do people continue to exploit kids like that you wonder. I have no answer. For the little girl, this is one circus where there is no closing act in sight.