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Photo Essay—Donggang, My Hometown
2020-08-24

Donggang Township in Southern Taiwan’s Pintung County (photo by Jimmy Lin)

Donggang Township in Southern Taiwan’s Pintung County (photo by Jimmy Lin)
 

(photo by Jimmy Lin)

(photo by Jimmy Lin)
 

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Donggang Township in Southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County? The Burning of the Wangye Boat, a religious festival held every three years? The three treasures of Donggang: bluefin tuna, sakura shrimp, and roes of escolar and oilfish? Or the fact that it’s where the ferry leaves from for tourist trips to Xiao­liu­qiu? Donggang is my hometown, and before going away to study I spent all my time there. Since graduating I have been working far away from Donggang, and every time I go back there I feel the urge to ride a motor scooter through all the streets and small lanes, and then eat local snacks at several food stalls where I have been eating since childhood. Only then do I have the feeling that I have truly returned home.

In my work, I routinely record images of various locales with my camera, and the stranger each place is to me, the more my fascination grows as I photograph it. But I am so familiar with my hometown that I tend to take it for granted, and forget to capture its beauty. For this photo essay I decided to come back to Donggang’s fishing harbor, settle my mind, pick up my camera, and be a familiar stranger.

Donggang, My Hometown