Photography Feature 2020-2022, Shenzhen
A duo band recommended by my friend. The language (Cantonese) in which they are singing is one of the two mother tongues of mine.
02/2022, me shooting time lapse photography, captured by my mom with her phone
To include a trace of my hometown in this album, I searched through my photos but, to my surprise, found nothing. How could there be nothing? I carried my camera everywhere, yet l captured so few moments from the place where my journey began.
The farther I go, the stronger I feel my connection to my motherland—the fertile land nurtured by the Pearl River, covered by green where bricks and steel grow up in between. Here, people live with intensity, as though reflecting nature’s own bold character: In summer; the air feels thick with heat and rain; in winter; a damp coldness seeps into every sense. Those born here rarely struggle; resilience runs strong in their veins.
This place has two names: Canton and Guangdong, much like how one might address a beloved by different names on different occasions. Canton has a bittersweet ring, a name passed down through locals, through years of both strife and peace. It sounds like home. Guangdong, on the other hand, conveys modernity, international spirit, and rapid progress.
I’ve come to believe there’s an undeniable link between the land and its people, Perhaps, that’s why I feel both gentle and strong at once. Sometimes these dualities merge to a point where l can hardly understand myself. I think it’s because my home and l are both experiencing dynamic constant flux, of which some qualities stand out, yet none can truly be defined.
written on 29/10/2024
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