高荣国特地在山东老家，动用亲族网络，找出一双双五十岁以上，达知天命之年的同卵双胞胎,继之，安排每组双胞胎在同一场景分别拍摄下他们的侧面肖像，然后如同照镜子般，使两幅肖像面对面地结合在一块，借以在对照中，反映出即使在相同的基因，相同的血型、生辰八字、生肖、星座，乃至相同的原生家庭、相同的前期成长环境等等条件底下，但毕竟分立的两个个体，两个相异的灵魂，呈显他们在经历复杂的生命过程、各自心理的抉择与转折、无可避免的分歧发展、各别的经验积累，最终对个体生命乃至形貌的影响变化。但这组肖像作品的魅力，还不仅在于荣国希望通过 科学面相学式的观察，对不论东西方传统的星相命相学中，强调个体的命运受制于所从出的生辰，所属的生肖、星座的宿命观提出质疑。也在于荣国所照现的这一双双典型的中国脸谱，却实行了15世纪意大利画家弗兰契斯卡(Piero della Francesca，1415~1492）的肖像型式和美学风格；同样朴素而庄严的构图和人物表情，同样转九十度侧脸侧身的半身相，同样以被拍摄被描绘的主人公的生活所在地的地貌作为肖像背景，并且肖像与其背景虽有主从之别，各自占据画面面积的比例却相当；似乎暗示着人与其所属的背景环境彼此牵系相互影响的状态是势均力敌的。就某个层面而言你可以说人是环境的产物，但就另一层面而言,环境又被人所塑造着，你很难定论两者究竟谁对谁的影响更大一些。这致令观照者被引导进入对人的本质性的讨论。
其实不论是中国的儒道传统或是希腊跳脱民间神话的哲学传统，以及基督教《圣经》的神学，都看出人性与自然内蕴着并且受制于更高的终极实在因子和影响。时间、天体的运行、自然世界与人平行，不过都是受造界的一环，都不是绝对的，因此也就没有绝对的自主性与主宰性。对人命运的关切，与其诉诸遥远的星星和出生的时辰，不如思索人与一切万有所从出的道与天命。

《生活月刊》2014年10月刊别册

A Photograph

Written by Stanley Fung

Gao Rongguo went to his hometown in Shandong province and used his network of relatives to find pairs of identical twins who were over fifty years old and had reached a significant stage in their lives. He then arranged for each pair to take a side-profile portrait in the same setting. These portraits were then combined face-to-face, as if looking into a mirror, in order to reflect on the comparison of two individuals who share the same genes, blood type, date and time of birth, zodiac sign, and even the same upbringing and early environment. Despite these identical conditions, the two individuals inevitably differ due to the complex life experiences they have undergone, their individual psychological choices and turning points, unavoidable differences in development, and accumulation of personal experiences, which ultimately affect their individual lives and appearances.

The charm of this portrait series not only lies in Gao Rongguo's desire to question the belief in fate that is emphasized in both Western and Eastern traditional astrology, which suggests that an individual's destiny is predetermined by their birth date, zodiac sign, and star constellation. It also lies in the fact that these typical Chinese faces, captured by Gao Rongguo's camera, employ the portrait style and aesthetic of Italian painter Piero della Francesca (1415-1492) from the 15th century. The simple yet dignified composition and facial expressions of the subjects, the half-body shot turned ninety degrees to the side, and the landscape of the subject's living environment serving as the background of the portrait are all similar to the style of Piero della Francesca's portraits. Although the portrait and its background have a hierarchical relationship, they occupy similar proportions in the picture, suggesting that the relationship between a person and their environment is a mutually influential state of equal power. On one level, it can be said that a person is a product of their environment, but on another level, the environment is shaped by people, making it difficult to determine which has a greater influence on the other. This leads the viewer into a discussion of the essence of humanity.

In fact, whether it is the Confucian and Taoist traditions of China, the philosophical tradition of ancient Greece that transcends folk myths, or the theology of the Bible, all recognize that human nature is imbued with and subject to higher ultimate realities and influences within nature. Time, the movement of celestial bodies, the natural world, and humans all exist as part of the created world and are not absolute, and therefore, lack absolute autonomy and dominion. Concern for human destiny is better explored by contemplating the relationship between humanity and the Dao and fate that originate from all things.

Excerpt from the October 2014 issue of Life Magazine.