When Emperor Renzong of the Ming Dynasty was seriously ill, Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji took 15 days to travel from Nanjing to Beijing via the Grand Canal—a traditional Chinese journey. Today, with China’s rapid development, the Canal has become a living reference of historical metabolism. Six hundred years of fragments continue to intertwine and coexist within its shifting landscape.
Now, I retrace this route, using aerial photography to document the Canal’s evolving story. From above, I witness the drastic transformation of the riverbanks through the interplay of architecture and people. The drone’s view resembles a bird in flight—or perhaps another emperor surveying his land—revealing the surface of the earth below. The aerial photography also carries the unsettling gaze of surveillance: dramatic moments are captured unknowingly.
In contrast to a godlike ideal, what lies below is a modern, industrial Eden—at once desolate and striving. Time’s gears keep turning; images may preserve time, but time pays no heed to photography. I imagine presenting these photos to Zhu Zhanji: “Look—this is your country now, from the sky.”