I visit China(Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai) for the first time to attend my younger brother's wedding. A year later, just before the Beijing Olymp¬ic Games took place, I returned to shoot images of the hutongs, narrow alleys formed by traditional courtyard residences in the city. During my first visit, I had photographed laundry at one of these residences, but now the house was vacant and already half demolished. I was shocked that life and objects could change so rapidly, but I carried on photographing, looking for local life that still remained.