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“Despite this widely shared mythical perspective, the Long Wall is not just a partition between cultures or a symbol of power, it is a place where people have been living, working, and preserving traditions for centuries.”

Chinese-born photographer Xiaoxiao Xu’s photobook “Watering My Horse by a Spring at the Foot of the Long Wall” follows the path of the Great Wall of China, the most well-known and almost symbolic structure. Rather than symbolism and myth, Xu is interested in reality, beginning with the opening of the book (which clarifies the many names given to the structure in orient and occident) and continuing through each page. The wall – actually a collection of walls, towers and fortifications rather than a single continuous construction – represents a significant part of China’s history; Xu follows the path of the wall, taking us to the ruins and remnants of older parts. Along the way, she documents people’s lives, rites, environments and artifacts, including records of historical anecdotes, mythological stories and folk tales.

“Whatever the future of the Wall might be, we now have photographs that tell us a story: the story of those in-between, of a wounded dragon resting over the mountains, of blossomng trees reaching for the sky.” (both quotes from Maria-Caterina Bellinetti’s essay included in the book)

All text included in English.