Before We Explain the World

Photography by Lu Heng

6Life Itself

Stopping for a Sign

Story 46 of 51 · 4 photographs

The café arrow is hard to miss. Behind the crossing sign, hanging bottles take a little longer to notice. Move closer to find a small stone resting on a painted rail. The last photograph brings us to the water, with a hanging ornament and four Chinese characters: 不忘初心 — remember what first mattered to you.

  1. Black-and-white photograph of a MIDPOINT CAFE sign on a white post. A large right-pointing arrow with chipped paint stands against an empty grey sky.
    323

    An arrow for coffee

    Read about this photograph
  1. White boards marked RAIL ROAD CROSSING form an X beneath a black bell. Coloured glass bottles hang among branches and other objects in the background.
    324

    Bottles behind the crossing sign

    Read about this photograph
  2. A small pale stone with a blue mark rests where two wooden rails meet. Blue and red paint is worn thin over the wood grain; greenery blurs behind them.
    325

    A stone on a painted rail

    Read about this photograph
  1. An orange-and-black painted ornament hangs in front of water and a distant shore. On the right of the photograph are the Chinese words 不忘初心, meaning remember your original intention, a smaller inscription, and the written date 2019.03.24.
    326

    Words beside the water

    Text in the image, translated from Chinese: “Stay true to your original purpose. Emotions pass; what you truly want deep down remains. Don’t let a passing mood govern your thoughts for the rest of your life. Love yourself, cherish the people around you, and let those who are not right for you go.” Dated 24 March 2019.

    Read about this photograph