By Rori-TAI Williams
I decided to take a day trip to Macau to explore the culture and architecture in this beautiful region. Macau is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China. It lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.
The economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism but also includes manufacturing. Macau was a Portuguese colony and both the first and last European colony in China, therefore a strong Portuguese influence is evident in everything from the language to the food and architecture. While in Macau, I enjoyed photographing in both 35mm film and digital. I have included a diptych and a triptych in this series in hopes of expressing the best of both worlds.
1. “Construction in Macau”
Similar to Hong Kong, there is an extensive amount of construction throughout Macau. This image conveys the construction workers’ fearlessness and bravery. At more than 20 stories up, it makes me wonder how a person can balance on a few bamboo poles with no safety net.
2. “Rice, Meat & Beans”
I was extremely interested in the variety of exotic foods I could find in Macau. However, I was a little disappointed when I didn’t see a bunch of open street markets with farm vendors. Instead, tons of rice, dried meat, and beans were offered around every corner — lots of beans.
3. “Bikers Runway”
Bikers remove their helmets as they stroll down a “runway” lined with motorcycles on either side. Macau is definitely a bikers’ city to say the least.
4. “Prayer Materials”
I was fortunate to be invited into a Buddhist temple so I decided to quickly, quietly and respectfully capture the moment and move along.
5. “The Texture of Macau”
Probably the most satisfying sight during this trip was the architecture. I was so taken by the old versus the new and the combined influence of Western, Chinese and Portuguese design. I was most fascinated with the textures of the older buildings and I found myself staring up at them for a while after capturing the images — almost as if hypnotized.
