My hometown in China is Chengdu, which is in Southwest China. Chengdu is also one of the birthplaces of Chinese hot pot and spicy cuisine. Most importantly, Chengdu is also home to countless unique artifacts of Chinese cultural heritage. Thus, my close connection to Chengdu and its immense influence on me as a photographer are profound.
I visited Chengdu during my undergraduate studies in the USA and stumbled upon an old-fashioned teahouse. This teahouse appeared conspicuous because the Chinese era of rapid development had replaced many traditional artifacts with contemporary urban planning. Consequently, it is challenging to find traditional Chinese customs, even in Chengdu. Everything I saw was atypical of the Chinese tea-drinking ceremony and outfit. Nevertheless, I realized that my hometown, Chengdu, had not cut all the ties with the Chinese cultural heritage. To date, Chengdu has a group of ethnic minorities who have unique lifestyles and customs. Therefore, during my stay there, I interacted with them and loved that they preserved their culture even to date.
At one time, in the Aba Prefecture of Sichuan, where the Tibetans and Yi people live, I witnessed their unique Buddhist festivals, including the custom of debating scriptures. I resolved immediately to preserve as many ancient Chinese traditions as possible and to the best of my abilities. I embark on a journey of documentary photography to construct a virtual museum that starts with this project.
