Building images of the past

Based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, the 27-year-old photographer is one of a small group of intrepid urban explorers who try to unlock the stories behind the sites. This pastime is not restricted to just China. Urban exploration is popular around the world.

"China has experienced astonishing growth in recent decades, which has led to dramatic changes in urban areas," Zhao explains.

While recording these changes with her photos, she has noticed that many factories, theaters, schools and neighborhoods that were home to vibrant communities are now in danger of vanishing.

She prefers to zoom in on deserted pieces of architecture that were built between the 1940s and the '80s, because in her eyes, 1978 was a historic turning point for China when the reform and opening-up policy was launched.

With her commentary about the nature of the spaces, their surroundings and her feelings while exploring them, her photos and videos are published online at the micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo and the fashion and lifestyle platform, Xiaohongshu, where she has attracted 20,000 followers. For some, her photos have a nostalgic atmosphere, evoking a bygone era when life was slow.

Chen Jingwen, a renowned freelance photographer based in Guangzhou, says that behind every abandoned building, there is not only history, but also a story frozen in time.