Where Roads Begin to Split by Xingyu Fan - Nanjing University of the Arts

Where Roads Begin to Split examines the profound tensions of modernisation and migration in China, focusing on the fractures that are emerging between rural roots and urban ambitions. In 2024, Fan travelled over 3,000 kilometres across several provinces in China, photographing the landscapes and lives shaped by this transformation. Considering the personal perspectives of the photographers’ parents, the series captures the pivotal moments of departure and longing – when the familiar is left behind and the uncertain first steps into urban life are taken.