Nights in the Suburbs

Yan Jiacheng – 闫家成

2023 — Guangzhou, China

About this series

Last year, I moved to a new community located in a very remote suburb, which blends in with the surrounding rural areas, forming a unique landscape. As a result of the impact of the epidemic and economic downturn, China has built many high-rise buildings, but development in many areas has stagnated, turning many areas into “sleeping cities”.
It is the same in our community. People have nowhere to go because there are no public places. Everyone walks along the only riverside in the evening. Here, people are free to do whatever they want. They exercise, walk their dogs, set off fireworks, have picnics, and sometimes burn paper for the deceased (a Chinese custom). We have turned this place into a public space. It is very dark at night. Seeing the riverside from a distance, the streetlights make it seem like a stage, and the people look like actors. Streetlights make the scene look beautiful.
Because it is far from the city center and lacks rules, this place is full of possibilities. Here, people’s thoughts and consciousness are extremely relaxed.
Because it is far from the city center and lacks rules, this place is full of possibilities. People’s thoughts and consciousness are extremely relaxed here. It accommodates all kinds of people and their needs. It has become a sample of the interaction between urban and rural areas, people and the environment: it is like a utopia.

Photographer: Yan Jiacheng
Nationality: Chinese
Based in: Guangzhou, China
Website: yanjiacheng.net
Instagram: @gooodooot

Yan Jiacheng is a Chinese photographer whose work explores daily life and the human condition. He has exhibited internationally and was shortlisted for several major awards including the 2023 Royal Photographic Society Documentary Photography Award, the 2023 Israel International Photo Festival, and Photo Diary Competition 2020.
Jiacheng’s photographs have been shown at exhibitions in London, Israel, Italy, France, Greece, Korea, China, and the USA. His work was selected for “OF COVID” published by +KGP Books and Humble Arts Foundation in 2023. He has participated in art book fairs in China and New York.
latest news：Chinese photographer Yan Jiacheng was recently shortlisted for major photography awards and exhibitions including the 2023 Royal Photographic Society Documentary Photography Awards, PHOTO IS: RAEL International Photo Festival.