Lost in China, a Follow-Up
DESIGN INSPIRATION / PHOTOGRAPHY / LOCATION / CULTURAL REFERENCE
Chongqing (pronounced chon•ching) is a city, or “direct-controlled municipality,” of 32 million people near Sichuan Province, China. Yes, you read correctly, that’s FOUR TIMES the population of New York City.
Chongqing, China, by day or night is a Blade Runner-esque "city" of 32 million
In Matt Gross’ “letter” to Chongqing, Lost in China (New York Times – Sunday, December 26), he writes of the city:
“You were not pretty, but I was enthralled,” and “I was also overwhelmed, just as I’d hoped. It had been a very, very long time since I’d felt so dominated by a city — if I’d ever felt that way at all.”
a scene from the 1982 movie "Blade Runner"
Matt’s article very accurately captures how disorienting a Blade Runner-esque place like Chongqing can be. Unfortunately for him though, he wasn’t able to visit (or didn’t write about) the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about a half hour drive outside of the city center. The Dazu area is everything that much of the rest of Chongqing isn’t – serene, spiritual, ancient (carvings date to the 7th – 13th century) and surrounded by nature.
Having had the good fortune to work with a Chinese design and branding firm based in Chongqing in the fall of 2009, I was able to see aspects of this part of the country that Matt Gross seems to have missed. For a little balance to his article, I thought I’d post my photos of some of the Dazu carvings.
Chongqing is an insane and amazing place to experience – and even more remarkable when viewed in contrast to its past.
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Beautiful pictures, Markus.