老街 Old Street

 Guangzhou (Canton) is a big city with a history that is over 2000 years old. Cantonese people have their roots in this city, though now the city is getting more and more modern. People are forgetting about the old historic parts of Guangzhou. I was born and raised in Guangzhou, and have witnessed the modern, fashionable part of it while forgetting about the old towns. I wanted to use my camera to reveal those old towns, to learn about my culture, and see the history of my hometown. Old seems like a word that people are scared to touch, and we tend to ignore the existence of these old towns. In Guangzhou, there are so many old streets that are just waiting to be visited by the young generation and I hope that they are not forgotten. A big part of these old towns is that they feel like home and they contain generations and generations of people's’ lives. Each image has its own emotions. They are real, alive, and comfortable. When I entered each old streets, I felt like I entered a new world, because they have their own speed. As a person who has lived in Guangzhou for 19 years, I still feel like an outsider. It is because I was not born in and have not lived in those towns. When I was trying to take pictures of the streets, people were staring, and they were very protective of their space. I needed to be respectful towards those people and understand that I am an outsider and am trying to take pictures of those spaces. I chose to use natural lighting and black and white images. I want the focus to be on the images, and to be on what I am capturing. I am trying to show the real part of Guangzhou and present it to be as real as possible.