The Return of the Extraordinary Man, by Wencheng

A city undergoing rapid change, while the people continue to live unchanged.

Photographer Wan Chaofan visited his small hometown in China for the first time in four years and took this photo book, overlaying memory and reality as he walked through the city and village.
While high-rise apartment buildings and Shinkansen stations were built in the wake of the Beijing Olympics, the rural areas were still home to red brick houses, mosques, and the lives of people going about their daily lives.
Born into a Muslim Hui minority family, Wan sees his childhood reminiscent of relatives gathering on the anniversary of their deaths.
The cityscape may change, but the people's lives remain the same - this realization leads to a new connection with one's hometown.


[Title] The Return
[Publisher] Wan Publishing
[Publication date] April 15, 2025, limited to 200 copies
[Number of pages] Unpaginated
[Size] Approx. 30.5 x 30.5 cm, 0.40 kg
[Format] Softcover
[Title reading] Kikyorai, The Return
[Authors/Editors] Written by Enchaofan, Designed by Tang Yayi, Japanese translation by Wada Satoshi
[Printing] One-piece print
[ISBN] None
[Condition] New, signed
[Accessories] Case, reprint statement sheet
[Books featured] None
[Related Exhibitions]

En Chao Fan (1991-)

Born in 1991 in Gu'an County, Hebei Province, China.
In 2021, completed the doctoral course at Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts.
In 2021, he won the Excellence Award at the 44th New Cosmos of Photography for "The River Knows Everything - Arakawa."
In 2023, he won the 24th Miki Jun Award and the 23rd Sagamihara Photography Newcomer Encouragement Award for "The River Knows Everything - Arakawa."
He is currently a co-management member of Totem Pole Photo Gallery (Yotsuya, Tokyo).

Personal homepage: http://www.wanchaofan.com