Curated by JZZP
Designed by Mei Shuzhi
Size: 42 x 28 cm (unfolded); 21 x 28 cm (folded), 214 photos, 420 pages
About the book
Sibei was completed in 2024, marking the culmination of a project
spanning 14 years. Since Lahem first encountered a camera in 2007,
he began photographing Sibei—his birthplace and a typical mountain
village in central China.
The villagers of this village are descendants of the Hakka people,
whose ancestors migrated south centuries ago. Thus, the area is one
of the Hakka settlements. Moreover, the village holds historical
significance as a site where early 20th-century Chinese
revolutionaries sought to realize their revolutionary ideals. It was once
the seat of the Chinese Soviet Republic and served as the starting
point of the Red Army's Long March.
During the creation of this work, Lahem also pursued another line of
inquiry—an introspection on his identity that spanned over a decade.
This exploration resulted in several works, including Wander-lost
(2013), Walking 1000 Kilometers Back to Hometown (2016), and Luo
Fuping/Reborn (2019).
In Sibei, Lahem moves beyond the binary opposition between himself
and his family or land. Instead, he shifts his focus to the land where
Sibei village is located and the people living there. His attention
centers on shared human destinies, the permanence of the land, the
mystery of space, and the struggles, resilience, and unyielding spirit
of the people inhabiting this land as they face time and historical
tides.
