"Tu grew up near the Jialing River and often swam there as a child. After studying in other cities in his youth, Tu returned to Chongqing for university. The Chongqing of today is different from the Chongqing of Tu's childhood and these images are an effort to record those changes-to tell the story of the riverside from his perspective and memory. While initially noting the distinct shift in urban architecture, Tu began to notice other things like increased congestion, environmental pollution, and poverty:"
"I began visiting every corner of Chongqing-its mountains, rivers, trees, and the pebbles along its riverbanks-attempting to decipher the connections between people, the city, the flowing waters, and my own bond with my hometown. Through photography, I try to freeze Chongqing in time, yet the process itself carries a paradoxical feeling-the closer I get, the more I seek, the deeper the sense of loss becomes."
Photographer Ximeng Tu documents Chongqing's transformation with a focus on the riverside where he grew up near the Jialing River. He returned to Chongqing for university after studying in other cities and observed shifts in urban architecture alongside rising congestion, pollution, and poverty. The project shifts attention from high-rises to individuals and everyday landscapes to explore connections between people, the city, and flowing waters. The work operates as a journey of self-discovery and memory, retracing personal growth through image-making while confronting a paradoxical deepening sense of loss the closer he looks. Tu was shortlisted for the 2025 Booooooom Art & Photo Book Award.
Read at BOOOOOOOM!
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]