Chinatowns

Photography

I left my native country of China at the age of 18, and have since lived in America and now in Europe. Wherever I go, I often find myself visiting the Chinatowns, as they are places where I can feel close to my culture.

However, visiting the Chinatowns has always been a somewhat bizarre or even disorienting experience for me. On the one hand, I'm able to find a variety of familiar elements related to the Chinese culture: authentic food from my region, store signs written in Chinese, or festive activities that my family used to do when I was little, etc. On the other hand, despite the name "Chinatown", these neighborhoods are nothing like the modern China that I know: by merging Chinese and local cultures, they have greatly evolved and developed into their own cultural identities.

This series includes photos taken during my visits to various Chinatowns in America and Europe over the years. Through street photography, I intend to navigate these neighborhoods through two different perspectives: firstly, a more personal and nostalgic look, where I'm reacting to the familiar or the bizarre cultural elements, reflecting my own experience visiting the Chinatowns; secondly, a more objective point of view, where I'm interested in highlighting the fusion between cultures and how it has transformed the urban landscape in these places.

This project was awarded “Artistic Recognition” by Harry Gruyaert at Trieste Photo Days 2024.

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