Lingering Garden captures the villages abandoned by farmers in the process of urbanization, which will be devoured by nature and digress back to a primitive state as time goes by. During rapid urbanization, the number of cities increases at the expense of the disappearing villages.

In recent years, China has concentrated its resources towards cities. This country, which once flourished in agriculture, is currently undergoing rapid urbanization. Millions of migrant workers flood into cities, forcing both rural and urban societies to experience unprecedented transformations. As newcomers to the city, the migrant workers find that personal ties and the geographical relationship collapses, and they urgently need to adjust and adapt to the new environment, which will redefine their identity. “Witnessing this process of urbanization, I have been following these transformations through my photographic works. In sharp contrast to the cities, the images in Lingering Garden series recorded the landscape of the abandoned villages, exploring the marginality of the countryside, be it evident or invisible. Through a lens that is so sharply opposite to the urban experience and consumerism, these works reflect the tension between Modernity and tradition.”