Chinese photographer Zhang Kechun spent months travelling through rural China – and found beauty through the fog of pollution and industry.
Mountains and rivers are very significant for the Chinese people. In this country, there is a cultural awareness that says mountains are “virtuous” and rivers are “moral.”
I was inspired to carry out this project after reading the novel Rivers of the North by Zhang Chengzhi. The book is written in a stream-of-consciousness style and its story follows the paths of many rivers across China. Attracted by the powerful words of the novel, I decided to take a walk along the Yellow River in order to find the root of my soul. Along the way, the calm flow of my mind became flooded with the hectic thoughts and ceaseless stream of reality. I felt a profound pessimism.
