My project “Romantic Memories_Papaver Rhoeas” is a tribute to the ephemeral, romantic, and beautiful moments of my childhood. This series is deeply intertwined with the era and environment in which I grew up. Witnessing China’s rapid development during the 1980s and 1990s, I observed the transformative changes in both rural and urban landscapes. As the economy grew, many young people from rural areas, including my hometown, migrated to cities for work, leading to dramatic changes in the environment I once knew. The stream by my house has disappeared, and the dense forests have been replaced by buildings. Returning home now, I can no longer find the places and people that accompanied my childhood.
For my generation of Chinese, it seems challenging to preserve memories of our past through tangible objects. Technological advancements have profoundly impacted our lives, not always positively. In this hurried, mechanized era, it feels as though we are trapped by “technology.” Creating art has become one of my ways to retain these memories.
Chinese writer and poet Mu Xin wrote a poem titled “Once Upon a Time, Things Were Slow.” In it, he describes, “In the past, the sun set slowly. Carts, horses, and mail all moved slowly. A lifetime was only enough to love one person.” The imagery of “sunset,” “carts,” “horses,” and “mail” evokes a pastoral life, contrasting sharply with modern, fast-paced life filled with “airplanes,” “cars,” “social media,” “phones,” and “emails”—all symbols of technological advancement. This poem resonates with the emotions I express in the “Romantic Memories” series: wistfulness, complexity, nostalgia, and a sense of helplessness. Like poetry, art is an exploration of the essence of things, using fictional narratives to express the artist’s inner emotions and to build a bridge for spiritual communication with the outside world.