“Where the Yuan weaves the orchid,” “Yuan Zhi Li Lan” in mandarin, comes from THE SONGS of CHU, “The Lady of the Xiang River.” The original line — “By the Yuan grows Zhi (angelica); by the Li grows Lan (orchid). / I long for my lord, yet dare not speak.” The Yuan and the Li are two great rivers in Hunan from ancient time till now, and angelica and orchid are fragrant plants often associated with purity and elegance. Paired with “The Lord of the Xiang River,” the poem forms a set of mirroring love songs: the River Lord and Lady agree to meet by the water, but each arrives at the wrong time, waiting in vain for the other.
In this book, “Yuan Zhi Li Lan” leans closer to its literal meaning—much like a remark the author once made in an interview many years ago: “Life is a long, long river. I walk along its banks, and when I see a beautiful stone, I pick it up, slip it into my pocket, and sort it when I get home.”
Huang Jing, born in Guangzhou in 1987, graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2010. He currently lives in Shenzhen and works as a professional artist and a mentor at the Leica Academy. He was shortlisted into the first Three Shadows Photography Award (2009), the first Chinese photographer to receive the Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award (2011), and the first from China to be selected for Foam Talent in the Netherlands (2014). His works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions both internationally and in China.
Size: 250 × 180 × 15 mm
Printing: Four sets of specially blended tri-tone black-and-white printing in six spot colors
Binding: Paperback, sewed, Chinese ancient binding
Edited by Yang Yiying
Designed and processed by Cheng Yinhe
Published by P for Pinecone and Gluggavedur, December 2025
