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"farewell... Beihai"

Posted by
hugo poon (hong kong, Hong Kong) on 6 October 2010 in Cityscape & Urban and Portfolio.

While I was still being carried away by the amazing vastness and magnificence of the harbour (Beibuwan or Beibu Gulf, that I tried to capture in the previous pics), I turned around to join my team but only found myself to be held up by just another sight. I was captivated, not by something spectacular, but by the mood of a not-too-old, ordinary-looking yet lonely house in which some ordinary local people were residing.


Almost all the neighbouring buildings were already bulldozed to make way for new developments; I knew very well that not too soon in the future this house would also be be replaced by a luxury hotel or an expensive resort home (for some wealthy people from outside)... So, the moment I took one last shot of this house, perhaps I was also saying farewell to Behai's existing way of living.


(PS. Beihai is a beautiful coastal city south of China, that is in a progress of "modernization" at an incredible pace and receiving huge financial support from the government.)

Beibuwan Road, Beihai, Guangxi, China

From my recent trip to Guangxi.

FUJIFILM FinePix F200EXR 1/680 second F/4.3 ISO 100 16 mm

I do not regard myself as a photographer. I'm an ordinary man but extraordinarily obsessed with capturing all the memorable scenes that I encounter in my everyday life. It's like an excited traveller craving to record his memorable journey in a memorable way, but in my case, it's the journey of my life ... If I can record my encounters in such a way that they leave an image on the mind of myself and other viewers, it's a tremendous joy and some accomplishment...
In terms of photography, I'm trying to preserve the moments as my eyes see "something" and my heart feels it too. As such, I seldom feel interested in planned, arranged or manipulated photographs...

Alun from cheshire, United Kingdom

looks reallt run down, very good document shot

6 Oct 2010 5:21am

Jingz from Germany

looks symmetric with the tree in the center.

6 Oct 2010 5:53am

k@ from Paris, France

Just love (beyond your sensitive lines in the caption) the way this oh-so fragile young tree seems to hold the building over his frail shoulders... as if saying, i'm new, i'm young, but in won't forget the decaying past promised to destruction & vanishing, i promised... I love the balance here, how this frail buddy is placed right in the middle and how the green grows even on top of the apartments, a little jungle slowly swallowing the gray (and what a deep meaningful gray tone here...). Wonderful compo for a deep message, touches me a lot !

6 Oct 2010 6:45am

@k@: Somehow reading your beautifully touching words makes me like the image even more!:-) Thanks again for reading into the pic!!!

Paco Rubio from Barcelona, Spain

buenos días Hugo! Un simetría genial, ni con photoshop te hubiera quedado tan bien! Un saludo.

6 Oct 2010 6:54am

roeb from rotterdam, Netherlands

magnificent shot and wonderful liner-notes.

6 Oct 2010 6:55am

Pavan Kaul from Mumbai, India

The lone tree heightens the quality and mood of this picture so well...a superbly seen and made image Hugo:)

6 Oct 2010 9:16am

Bruno from froyennes, Belgium

Can this thin tree protect the building and the inhabitants ? Against modernization, "urbanism" (?) is he sufficiently strong ?

6 Oct 2010 10:10am

BeLTxA from Menorca, Spain

A lot of green around, I hope it will be for long...

6 Oct 2010 10:40am

Ian Smith from London, United Kingdom

Another memory. You have captured many, Hugo. Lets hope the residents get something new that they enjoy.

6 Oct 2010 12:35pm

DowsherVision from PARIS, France

The composition is just fine !!!! Bravo.

5 *****

6 Oct 2010 3:50pm

Mariana Maodush from Waterloo, Canada

What a find . O, my dear ! This is fabulous :)

6 Oct 2010 6:06pm

Steve Rice from Olympia, United States

It sounds as though this will soon be a place of uprooted households and lives. I guess that's the unfortunate hidden cost of modernization everywhere. This is a lovely farewell shot.

6 Oct 2010 7:11pm

Anna.C from LA ROCHELLE, France

Behai ? I Know only Behai Park in Beijing, a beautiful place of the past of China, around there some old buildings and traditionals hutong in contrast with new modern and luxury buildings, hotels and temple of shopping commercial ! it was around 2003 and all runs and grows so fast in China now ! I love your sensitive look on this old part of this town, for a while, still the same ! Love your frame with symetry and this fragile tree in the middle as a symbolism of two worlds !

6 Oct 2010 8:43pm

Sunder from Chennai, India

Excellent shot! Love your composition...
The tree in the foreground adds to the effect...

7 Oct 2010 4:52am

Punit from Somewhere in, India

The single lean tree in the center does seem to be trying to shoulder the old building. Very nice composition.

7 Oct 2010 6:42am

Marian Laura from New York/(also Hong Kong), United States

history...

7 Oct 2010 5:20pm

Evelyne Dubos from Le Mans, France

Nicely composed but a sad feeling here, i find... all this grey...

7 Oct 2010 5:37pm

✿ Anina ✿ from Auckland, New Zealand

A terrific shot. I love the symmetry - it's perfect with the tree in the middle.

7 Oct 2010 9:24pm

Mike from Lichfield, United Kingdom

I think K@ summed it up beautifully. I love the photo Hugo.

8 Oct 2010 5:32am

London Caller from United Kingdom

The price of rapid development?!

8 Oct 2010 9:17pm

elena from torino, Italy

I think is a great idea to capture a house that soon, probabliy, will not be there. I like the composition with the house and the tree. great work!

8 Oct 2010 10:07pm

Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain

I like your words here, and the composition of the photo is fantastic and meaningful with this central tree :)

9 Oct 2010 10:40am

olivier Paillet from toulouse, France

Nicely graphic ...and poetic !!!

9 Oct 2010 11:25am

Bettina from Los Angeles, United States

This is a stunning shot. In its simple perfection and beautiful restraint. I love the building beyond and your placement of the tree.

9 Oct 2010 1:53pm

Morris Taub (momo) from Montpellier, France

now, this is a great landscape...perfect balance...nicely done H.

11 Oct 2010 1:33pm

John Leech from Grange-over-Sands, United Kingdom

So that tree was planted there just for your photograph? Wonderful vision. Hugo, you are witnessing some amazing times in China. A country with such long standing culture changing at this unbelievable rate. I used to marvel at the changes my Grandmother witnessed in her lifetime - horse drawn carriages replaced by cars, telecommunications and television becoming common place - the main factor being disposable income. The increase in the UK over the last 40 years has been staggering. But wow, that must be nothing compared to what is happening hour on hour in China.

11 Oct 2010 8:33pm

larans from Lund, Sweden

Interesting, both the story and the picture. Although the threatening situation for this house and its inhabitants there seems to be some positive about it. wonderful compostion, the symmetri, and clors, the grey, that really underlines your story.

12 Oct 2010 8:40pm

GJC from Kyoto (京都), Japan

A magnificent composition and a heartfelt document.

16 Oct 2010 2:00pm

morteza from tehran, Iran

nice symmetry....

22 Dec 2010 7:14pm

FUJIFILM FinePix F200EXR
1/680 second
F/4.3
ISO 100
16 mm

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