Jiang Nan: Changing Traditions in Western China
Xinjiang, a vast land located in the northwest of China, is where I was born. It used to known as the Western Regions for hundreds and thousands of years and is now a place where dozens of ethnic groups inhabit. I was born and raised there, but I am also a descendant of the Han ‘immigrants’. Many of my peers are the third generation of Xinjiang, with their grandparents’ first settlement due to political and economic reasons. While I was in the middle of terms of my abroad study, my homesick object was Xinjiang. I need a hometown to avoid my rootlessness. Drove along the river through the deserted land, from one city to another, I tried to reach to more people and establish the connection with them via photography. Although these connections were mostly short-lived and vulnerable, they undoubtedly helped me with healing the wounds. I want to make this place my homeland, and what I believe what I can do is to engrave the scenes and the faces on the films as well as in my heart.
About Boyuan Zhang
Boyuan Zhang (born. 02/Feb/1993), Chinese photographer based in Beijing, born and raised in Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Photojournalism and Documentary Photography MA student graduated from the London College of Communication in 2017.
Website: lensculture.com/boyuan9850