Driven by a massive government effort to interconnect the country geographically and culturally, new highways now cut through solid rock, and the world’s most ambitious railway project—connecting Sichuan to Tibet—is drawing the megalopolis of Chengdu closer to the high plateaus. Following these new routes, a steady wave of tourists from across the country is arriving to experience the region's heritage.
In this ongoing photographic project, I observe the everyday realities of this transition. Rather than assuming modernisation simply erases the past, I try to understand a nuanced cultural remix: how local traditions are now being consumed and reinterpreted by visitors, how the megacity of Chengdu negotiates its rapid development with its cultural heritage, and how these communities are navigating their sudden proximity to the rest of China.
"The road to Shu [Sichuan] is harder than climbing to the sky." — Li Bai (8th century).
