Before We Explain the World

Photography by Lu Heng

1Leaving the Known

After Arrival

Story 8 of 51 · 8 photographs

After open water come riverbanks, doors, houses and lights on boats. The view draws closer to places where someone might open a door or come ashore. Distance gives way to signs of everyday life.

  1. A foaming wake curves across turquoise water beside a low sandbank under scattered clouds.
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    A wake beside a sandbank

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  1. A low strip of coast and a curving inlet sit beneath a broad blue sky patterned with small clouds.
    45

    A coast beneath a wide sky

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  2. A wooden torii gate stands in still water beneath a grey, cloud-filled sky.
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    A tall gate in the water

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  1. White and yellow waterfront houses line the edge of deep blue water.
    47

    Colourful houses beside blue water

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  1. Moored boats, shoreline lights and dark slopes surround a harbour beneath a blue and orange sky.
    48

    A blue harbour

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  2. Small boats rest in a marina while a dark mountain rises behind the water.
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    A marina before the mountains

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  3. Small boats and a dark harbour wall lie beneath a bright sky, with the sun low on the horizon.
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    A harbour beneath a low sun

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  1. A figure stands in a small boat on golden water beneath tall clouds, with a low green shore behind.
    51

    A small boat in golden light

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