The Millet Drops Head

© Tianhu Yuan - Along the Wei River. It is a riverside park now. A woman is standing on a mound. © Tianhu Yuan - For thousands of years, the Wei River has flowed quietly. © Tianhu Yuan - A warning board at the edge of the river, which says "Dangerous water, no fishing, no swimming". View all images ↓
View all images ↓

The millet drops head;

The sorghum is in sprout.

Slowly I trudge and tread;

My heart is tossed about.

Those who know me will say

My heart is sad and bleak;

Those who don't know me may

Ask me for what I seek.

O boundless azure sky,

Who's ruined the land and why?

----The Ruined Capital, Book of Songs

My project The Millet Drops Head is a response to the Traditional Poems Meditating on the Past. They were taken in Xi'an, China. Xi'an is the capital of many dynasties in ancient China, with a history of thousands of years. Due to regime change, most of the architecture in ancient times have been destroyed and leaving only ruins. For such a monumental city, ruins were material remains of history and often inspired poets' and artists' contemplation of the Past. I have sought out these places of nothingness, repeatedly transformed by human beings, in an attempt to complete the reconstruction of the fragments of history.

© Tianhu Yuan - Along the Wei River. It is a riverside park now. A woman is standing on a mound.
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Along the Wei River. It is a riverside park now. A woman is standing on a mound.

© Tianhu Yuan - For thousands of years, the Wei River has flowed quietly.
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For thousands of years, the Wei River has flowed quietly.

© Tianhu Yuan - A warning board at the edge of the river, which says "Dangerous water, no fishing, no swimming".
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A warning board at the edge of the river, which says "Dangerous water, no fishing, no swimming".

© Tianhu Yuan - Some trees on the ruins of palace.
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Some trees on the ruins of palace.

© Tianhu Yuan - A trash in the ruins of the palace in the Han Dynasty. Fragments of history are left behind in time river.
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A trash in the ruins of the palace in the Han Dynasty. Fragments of history are left behind in time river.

© Tianhu Yuan - A man picks up a bunch of reeds and walks through the riverside park.
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A man picks up a bunch of reeds and walks through the riverside park.

© Tianhu Yuan - On the ruins of the palace in the Han Dynasty, two chimneys can be seen in the distance.
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On the ruins of the palace in the Han Dynasty, two chimneys can be seen in the distance.

© Tianhu Yuan - A bridge stands on the banks of the Wei River. The sunlight spills down from the sloping top, forming a boundary.
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A bridge stands on the banks of the Wei River. The sunlight spills down from the sloping top, forming a boundary.

© Tianhu Yuan - A surveillance camera stands in the palace ruins park of the Han Dynasty.
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A surveillance camera stands in the palace ruins park of the Han Dynasty.

© Tianhu Yuan - A man walks through the ruins of a palace covered with weed.
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A man walks through the ruins of a palace covered with weed.

The Millet Drops Head by Tianhu Yuan

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