The subject of this series is Yingxian’s Wooden Pagoda, China’s oldest wooden tower, resiliently standing since the 11th century. This ancient structure, having withstood centuries of warfare and even bombings in the 1920s, suffered its greatest misfortune in the modern era. In a misguided attempt at preservation, local authorities once followed a self-proclaimed fengshui expert’s advice to remove the mud walls reinforcing the core, resulting in the pagoda’s slight tilt and twist.

By the 1980s, plans to restore the pagoda emerged, yet the project stalled due to the complexity of its structure and lack of funds. Yingxian, then an impoverished region, directed most resources towards basic infrastructure, leaving some residents in limbo, awaiting the relocation promised for tourism development. Those who left gained new apartments; others remained, rooted in homes weathered by time and tradition. The locals seem almost indifferent to the pagoda, their backs turned, yet it symbolises the complex pull of heritage and change.

For me, architectural photography captures more than abstract beauty; it unveils the meaningful dialogue between structure and surroundings, revealing the social and historical layers that give architecture its true depth and purpose.