Searching

We have been searching for the unknown Asians for more than three years.

There were many people helping us to search: Asians, sinologists, photography experts, an anthropologist, a detective, but also the ancient Chinese divinatory Book of Changes, the I‑Ting. We make use of various tools, including this website.

What have we found out?

The unknown tourists come from China

Every fourth human on the planet is Chinese. Many Chinese people and sinologists have safely identified the photographed people as Chinese according to their physiognomy and the way they were dressed.

The route of the trip: From the Hainan Island to Norway

In May 2005 we organized an exhibition of the recovered pictures in Manes Mitte gallery in Prague. Thanks to that event, we managed to identify certain spots, where the unknown Asians took pictures of themselves.

The main highlights dominating the 756 pictures were the following:

• China – Beijing and the Hainan Island in the South China Sea
• Germany – Frankfurt am Mohan and Heidelberg
• Norway: Oslo and Norwegian fjords

The suitcase with the pictures have been found at a small housing estate in Göteborg in Sweden. In summer 2005 we set off to trace the pictures taken in Europe and we managed to find (and film) almost all the spots the unknown tourists had taken pictures of themselves. One of our most successful deeds was the discovery of remote spots of Norwegian fjords, where an anonymous fence or a dandelion field were the only hints.

Dating of the pictures: 2001

There was a very complex search, collecting circumstantial evidence and one unbelievable encounter (more in the film) before we could establish that the pictures had been taken at the turn of May and July 2001 – the peak season for blossoming dandelions. Why do the unknown Chinese pose amid dandelions so many times?

Hotels where they stayed

The Chinese tourists took several pictures with hotels they stayed in. Those were usually Radisson Hotels – a chain offering luxury accommodation, where the management is very particular about their guests' privacy. Even though we visited one of the Radisson Hotels in Oslo, where the Chinese took their pictures, it was not possible (without breaking the law) to take a look at their strictly confident guest books. However, we did not give up distributing leaflets to Asian guests of this hotel who stayed there at the turn of May and June 2005. The leaflet contains information about us having the pictures, few of the recovered pictures and our contact so the guests can get in touch with us in case they were interested in the recovered pictures.

A Norwegian cook who has recognised them

It was a small hotel at the fjords where we met a cook who claimed he remembers the faces on the pictures. Maybe we should have talked the cook into a hypnosis, as his active memory only mentioned that the faces were familiar to him and that it was not a common tourist coach trip.

The Chinese media

We are currently focusing on the distribution of the pictures in China and the possibility of broadcasting a short spot in the Chinese Television. We made our way to a big Chinese forum, getting more than a thousand replies the first day – mostly positive ones, promising us to help with spreading the pictures.

A visionary, fortune-teller and the I-Ting

Searching for six Chinese people on this planet, while the only clue is their photographs, is maybe much worse than looking for a needle in a haystack. Therefore we decided to ask a visionary and fortune-teller. The ancient Chinese divinatory Book of Changes - the I-Ting is also a big help to us.

It is not only the I-Ting, but also the whole course of events related to our investigation with all its turns and surprises that suggest the process is more important than the outcome.