No Mud

Book Design, 2021

You walk by the river, watching the water flow east,

The river breaks and the mirror reflects you back.

The flowing water witnessed this moment,

The flowing water passes you by…

At this river, people bring their children to visit this green landscape. Children feed the ducks, couples walk side by side, and some sit on memorial benches. From 1860 to 1934, it became a warm area for people. No matter what happens outside, people can always feel calm in the familiar scenery.

We reveal our spiritual nature and true selves in this familiarity. The voices and pictures from the past are a way to reach deep into time and these help me to understand how people thought of the New River Walk previously. People wrote poems to praise its beauty, and people also complained about the stinky odor. All poets and complainers have passed away; the old wallets carrying these pictures have been lost. But I witnessed their most familiar scenery, and I saw an invisible bridge that connects to the past, present, and future.

Every little tree and corner has become a witness to several generations of people passing by. These layers illustrate the breaking up of time in miniature, remembered, then forgotten. ‘No Mud’ at the river bottom, only you and me carried by this endless river flow.

This book is about discovering the relationship between people and the New River Walk through old photos. Three dimensions are present in this book: the history, the time, and the space of the New River Walk.