Baya (2023)

"Baya in the Zhuang language means 'grandmother.' At the end of 2012, I attended a charity lecture in Beijing about left-behind children, where I heard the story of Baya and the grandchildren she raised. In early 2013, I arrived at the village of Debie, set in a mountain pass, where Baya lived. I stayed at Baya's house. At that time, I was going through the breakdown of an intimate relationship and found myself at a personal low point in middle age. I was curious about how Baya had survived so many hardships and continued to provide shade, shelter, and warmth like a big tree for her grandchildren and the lives around her. During the year and eight months I spent with Baya, I unknowingly underwent a transformation. Not only did my body become stronger, but my inner self also became more open and free. Through Baya, I came to understand the resilience and strength of the human spirit, which remains unaltered by any amount of suffering — a testament to the noble dignity of human nature."