The town of Hongjiang is situated in Xiangxi (West Hunan). Its unique geographical location at the junction of the Yuanshui and Wushui rivers has meant that Hongjiang has been a trading center since the Song dynasty, serving the provinces of Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hubei. From the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Hongjiang even became a southwestern metropolis of sorts, with various kinds of merchandise and numerous merchants. During the Qing dynasty, a modern economy began to emerge in China, and it was in the early Mingguo era that Hongjiang reached its zenith. Today waterway transport has been superseded by road and rail which are more efficient. The transformation of the mode of transport means that many once-bustling ports have been forgotten by history. This is the case of Hongjiang which has been side-lined by the fast-pace of modernization and become only a near-invisible sign on the map of China.

However, as a symbol and repository of traditional culture, Hongjiang has been well-preserved.In the past several years, Hunan photographer Ouyang Xingkai, has been taking photographs of Hongjiang. Taking the point of view of a cultural observer, he has recorded the architecture, the people and their lifestyle in this town that has been preserved by an accident of history.As today’s Hongjiang walks into history, the record of Hongjiang taken by Ouyang Xingkai will surely provide classic material for future generations to interpret the history of Xiangxi.Most definitely, the photographic record of Hongjiang will be of a Hongjiang preserved. A history preserved.