Mu Ge | Back home

Buy PRIVATE 50 [I]n 2005, I visited my hometown, a place I am as familiar with as the back of my hand. My home was practically the same: a sofa in the shadow, furniture covered with dust. But the decorations on the wall suddenly had a sad poetic sense. The home harbors ignored reality. As time flies, it remains silent, keeping the secrets of life. These works are about my hometown. I took a boat and traveled on the Yangtze River, going home. The town went through drastic changes because of the Three Gorges Project: families that have lived there for generations were forced to relocate to some unknown places to start their lives all over again.

On my way home I could see old cities soon to be buried under water as the water level rises after the completion of the dam and new emerging cities along the river. I find out that life, even in a desperate state, will shine as brightly as the sun. As I was traveling home, I wanted to capture the warmth of sunlight on the back of a young man: all the faces in front of my lens with silent expressions that reminded me of how life struck me with awe.