Why Cities

There are many items to connect with one’s memory. Why do I choose cities?

My major is hospitality management. If I were good at Mathematics and drawing, I would major in urban planning—both of the skills are this major’s basis. Now that I knew virtually nothing about the two subjects, I can only dedicate all of my after-school efforts to Cities: Skylines, a console game focusing on simulated city operation. I thought that therein lies my interest in cities. In a word, my interest in cities is directly linked with the sense of achievement acquired when the simulated city-dwellers’ happiness index increases.

However, no matter how playable a game is, the player will be tired someday, just like the lovers feeling bored about each other. But I did not mean to break up with the game—I actually have married it and swear that we would never get divorced—I just would like to be separated from it.

The paragraph above is just a not very funny joke. Seriously, I got to reconsider about my interest in cities, “Do I truly crave for the beauty of urban areas, or just like the sense of achievement gained from the game?” I was unable to confirm whichever at that time. But when I travelled, I found myself buried into the visual joy brought by cityscape, and hoped to record it as better as possible. So, I tried my best to beautify my photos.

The reality proves that joy sparkled by photographing in a real life is more than by city-building in a virtual world. If I draw an analogy of breeding a child, my habit of taking a hundred photos within an hour and picking the best one to post online is like bearing several children and cultivating only one to be an elite; simulated city building is like what a family must do under China’s one-child policy—you can only have and cultivate one baby within lifetime but the baby will not necessarily become the elite.

Although it is very improper to link breeding children—which I think is very sacred—with my personal hobbies, I have to say the two aspects really share some qualities.

Now, I love photographing more than playing games. This blog is more meaningful now because it records the transfer of my hobby.

Thanks to my interest on cities. I am loving my life more because of them.

Hope you enjoy my photos on this blog as much as you enjoy your life!

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Here are some promotional videos of the four great cities. I hope you like them.

THE BEST OF NANJING:

Nanjing is the hometown of the photographer, David Lee. He found that most foreigners only know Beijing and Shanghai when it comes to China’s big cities. So, his original intention of making this video is to make more foreign people know Nanjing, which is also very excellent and agreeable.

This video mainly focuses more on the aspect of Nanjing’s prosperity and less on Nanjing’s culture because the photographer wants to show that Nanjing is international and economically-developed. I also hope the guys who watch this video on my blog can also know more about China’s cities, not only Beijing and Shanghai.

P.S. Here comes the English subtitle for the sentence at the timing of 5 min 49 sec:

“The Best of Nanjing dedicated to each of you who struggle either in or not in your hometown”

THE BEST OF Beijing:

It is the sequel of THE BEST OF NANJING. David Lee completed THE BEST OF NANJING before he left for Beijing for better career development. In Beijing, he created a more brilliant work.

P.S. Here comes the English subtitle for the sentence at the timing of 7 min 12 sec:

“The Best of Beijing dedicated to you who see Beijing as your ‘hometown’ “

I cannot find works as brilliant as “THE BEST” series. So, I would like to post two videos here. One introduces cityscape and the other one mainly focuses on culture. They are all fully English subtitled.

Considering too many highly-editted videos about Shanghai’s cityscape leads to aesthetic fatigue, I would like to show Shanghai via a lively video focusing on travel experience in Shanghai.

Thanks for watching. Hope these videos can stimulate your travel to China!