Tiantian Tang - Photography
She is still studying hard after work to get junior college degree since she is looking forward to the opportunity to leave the urban village.
Figure 1: Baining Apartment (1)
Tang has been living in an apartment on the 6th floor of Baining Apartment for about 6 years.
Figure 2: Baining Apartment (2)
The tenants in Baining Apartment is complex, they are mainly the migrants moved from rural areas or the undeveloped small cities. There are many female migrants living here because of the affordable rent, though the security problem can not be guaranteed.
Figure 3: The Corridor Of Baining Apartment
Because of the limited interior space, there are some stuffs have to be put in the corridor of the apartment. Although, the tenants know it is unsafe and uncivilized, they still want to occupy as much space as possible.
Figure 4: Cooking Time
Tang gets up early even though today is Sunday. Because she has to send her 4-year-old son and her father-in-law back to her husband's hometown after the happy but short weekend she spend with her son. What she can do for them is to cook a substantial breakfast.
Figure 5: Eating Time (1)
Breakfast has been prepared, the children and the old people in the family could not digest well, so she makes porridge for breakfast. Tang serves rice and calls her families (her husband, son, father-in-law and sister-in-law) for breakfast.
Figure 6: Eating Time (2)
Tang's son will leave after breakfast, and the next meeting should be many weeks away. So she doted on her son's breakfast, hoping to enjoy her last moments with him.
Figure 7: Eating Time (3)
Tang's husband leaves early after breakfast for work. To take the elderly and their children back to their hometown, Tang swapt job with her colleague.
Figure 8: Farewell (1)
After breakfast, it is time to send her family to the coach station. Then it began to rain heavily, as if to express the sadness of farewell.
Figure 9: Farewell (2)
They wanted to save money by taking the bus and then taking the subway to the coach station. But the sudden heavy rain breaks their plan, so they have to take a taxi.
Figure 10: Farewell (3)
Tang and her family go to Tianhe Coach Station every time they travel between their hometown and Guangzhou. During COVID-19, there was a significant decrease in human traffic, but it was still a dangerous place. However, people with limited economic conditions, especially migrant workers, still had to choose this mode of transportation.
Figure 11: Farewell (4)
Tianhe Coach Station still has some ticket scalpers, although this is banned by country. They often rely on the "fellow-villager" to get closer to some people and then sell them cheaper tickets. Even though the tickets come from unknown sources and are only a few yuan cheaper than the official price, people like Tang are still opting for this insecure way of buying tickets.
Figure 12: Farewell (5)
For work reasons, Tang has to drop off her son and father-in-law at the coach station, and then let them go back to their hometown by themselves. In the station concourse, Tang holds her son in silence until they reached the ticket barrier.
Figure 13: Farewell (6)
After sending the family away, the rain gradually stop. Now is the dragon boat rain season in Guangzhou (may to June every year), the weather is very humid and stuffy, almost every day will rain. So the city is still very uncomfortable after the rain.
Figure 14: The Unpredicted Work
When Tang got home at noon, she received a call from her leader asking her to work in the afternoon. After simply applying lipstick to the mirror, Tang hurried out the door.
Figure 15: Way Back Home (1)
After work, Tang goes across Guangyuan Express way. This road is Tang's daily commute by bus. As the epidemic eased, the old situation of continuous traffic of vehicles and people was restored.
Figure 16: Way Back Home (2)
Taking bus is the most frequent traffic mode of Tang's daily commute, in any weather conditions. Tang is used to reading some study materials on her way home because she is looking forward to earning an associate's degree one day, which is the fundamental requirement for residency in Guangzhou. It's been a tough road, but she's working hard in the city for her and her family's future.
Figure 17: Way Back Home (3)
Today is Sunday, so there are seats on the bus during the evening rush hour after work. Tang can take a one-hour-break from a busy day.
Figure 18: Way Back Home (4)
This is a branch of Meiyuan New Village, the main place where she buys food every day. The path was muddy after the rain. And because of the lack of regulation, the stalls on both sides of the road are very dirty and messy.
Figure 19: Way Back Home (5)
It is nearly 8 o 'clock when she finishes shopping. Tang takes her fresh purchases and exhaustion to the main road of the Meiyuan New Village. At night, there are traders, freight workers, children playing and residents chatting after dinner...along the way. Tang has walked this road countless times over the past two years, and her tiny figure makes the road looks so long.