“North of the Rivers is an ongoing photography project comprising 50 black-and-white still images that document the cities, towns, and villages of northern China. The project follows the rivers as a pathway into the traditional cultures and lives of the people I encountered.

Amidst the rapid urban regeneration and cultural homogenisation unfolding in northern China, my aim is to reconnect with the land from the perspective of the younger generation. As my accent, personality, and habits have shifted with new experiences and environments, I find myself questioning—what does the ‘north’ mean to me now?”

“North of the Rivers can be seen as an explorative journey in search of memory and identity. As a presence that carries both time and history, the river stretches and branches into murmuring or loquacious streams, where countless nostalgic stories have been told.

Comprising both river landscapes and portraits, each image tells its own wordless narrative, piecing together fragments of my journey—the roads I have travelled, the landscapes I have seen, and the people I have met—forming a spiritual bond between myself and the land I left long ago.”