Ruins in present day China: Stanley Wong’s Lanwei series

Text by Jan Cornelius

Stanley Wong, also known by his artistic name Anothermountainman, was born in 1960 in the unique region that is Hong Kong. In 1980 he graduated in Graphic Design, and after working for five years in this field, he moved on to advertising where for the past 15 years, most of his professional work has been focused. However, Wong firmly believes that the frontiers between the commercial and the artistic can be crossed with ease. The skill and intelligence that he brings to the competitive arena of advertising has led him to occupy the post of director in renowned advertising agencies throughout the Asian Pacific; at the same time he has not neglected his passion for photography and fine art, and his production in this area has been recognised through numerous prizes and exhibitions. He is also a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (the famous association of graphic designers in Zurich, Switzerland).

The four photographs included below belong to the Lanwei series, taken by this photographer in the Guanghzou region in 2006. The author explains the context surrounding the photographs thus: in 1980, the Chinese government relaxed existing restrictions and opened its doors to foreign investment. This caused a boom in the building industry, which in many cases was a cover for corruption. When the bubble finally burst, many buildings were abandoned half-finished. In Chinese, these buildings are called “lan wei lou” (烂楼), lan meaning “in ruins”, and lou, “buildings”. Wong says, “These photographs attempt to capture the relics of that mad gold fever. At the same time, over the years the meaning of “lan wei” has extended beyond the original reference to building projects to include all aspects of life”.

In this series, we witness four takes on present day China, against the convulsive background of her recent history. This context is reflected in the life experiences of the three generations coexisting in the present: the oldest generation, which during the XX century witnessed the move from an agricultural to an urban society (not forgetting that China still has a huge rural population), the generation responsible for modernisation, but also for the uncontrolled excesses which frequently accompany abrupt change, and the younger generation trying to make its way in this society, respecting and at the same time, modifying certain values, in a kind of accelerated schizophrenia.

Wong produces his work with the precision of a specialist –as advertising artists are-, communicating with clarity, ostensibly through the elements making up the composition: the financier, the strong box, children’s games, globes, lamps or domestic items. Nothing is left to chance, and his images reveal their underlying traumas and allusions, and the history which endows them with meaning.

Jan Cornelius is a freelance writer and photographer based in Barcelona (Spain).