I’ve always believed that immersing yourself in another culture is one of the most powerful ways to shift perspective, to feel deeply, and to begin understanding people beyond what words alone can say.

This book is layered—two stories told side by side in English and Chinese, but they are not translations of one another. To truly understand both, you have to speak both languages. The English carries the outer narrative, while the Chinese holds the more personal, quieter conversations—the ones shared in trust, that we chose to keep close. I did this deliberately, as a way to honour the culture, the people, and the intimacy I was welcomed into. Not everything is for everyone to read, and that’s the point.

I was lucky enough to be embraced by Yoon’s family, to be let into their lives with a warmth that transcended language. Despite being culturally opposite in so many ways, we became friends without ever needing to explain ourselves. This book isn’t just about what I saw—it’s about what I was given. It’s not only a street photography book, it’s a deeply personal one. Every scattered page, every layered image, carries the feeling of being somewhere entirely new and finding belonging anyway.