Manifestation of the Sages
Visual Machine
Water Lines
About
饮水思源 / Yinshuisiyuan / Beneath the Surface, Above the Thirst
2025 - Ongoing
I live downstream but drink from the source. "Yinshuisiyuan" is a visual investigation into the "hydraulic kinship" between downstream beneficiaries and upstream reservoirs. Through retracing the source, I seek the hidden history of ecological reshaping behind the daily act of drinking. In the 1950s, the Xin'an River Hydropower Station was built as a milestone of industrialisation, yet at a vast cost: two ancient cities submerged, and 290,000 people displaced. Flowing rivers were tamed into static lakes, permanently altering the region's geography and climate.
During my photographing, I realised that these costs never disappear. They are absorbed and transformed into "calm" daily landscapes. They no longer manifest as conflict or disaster, but persist as a state of near-nature.
During my photographing, I realised that these costs never disappear. They are absorbed and transformed into "calm" daily landscapes. They no longer manifest as conflict or disaster, but persist as a state of near-nature.