ESSAY // People Mountains Majesty: Nature in the Age of Instagram
essay by L. Lu • photos by Matt Weed
EXCERPT //
“It’s routine: We finally arrive at the main attraction, marked by a railing and explanatory signs, as though you might miss it. My mother smiles at a passing visitor, holding out her camera. My mother, father, brother, and I shuffle next to each other, squinting at the sun in our eyes, sticky with sweat. My mother, with her usual whimsical energy, exclaims 到此一游 (dào cǐ yī yóu), before we move along and cede the coveted spot to the next group. Taking tourist photos is a motif in my memory, never tied to a specific incident, only a general impression when recalling childhood vacations.
In this context, the Chinese expression dào cǐ yī yóu paraphrases to “We’ve arrived. We’re here.” My mother used it to mark the accomplishment of visiting a key landmark. The expression suggests subtle disappointment—the actual place an afterthought; the photographic proof more important. Looking through photos from my childhood, our faces and bodies fill the frame. The ostensible attraction fades into the background, unremarkable as a plastic trinket purchased from a garish souvenir stall.
For full text and images, consider reading RQ in print, on a Sunday afternoon, sun streaming through your window, coffee in hand, and nary a phone alert within sight or in earshot… just fine words, fine design, and the opportunity to make a stitch in time. // Subscribe or buy a single issue today. // Print is dead. Long live print. //