The Emperor’s River: Photographing Along China’s Grand Canal

The Scott Nichols Gallery presents a collection of Philipp Scholz Rittermann's photographs along the Grand Canal in China.

In 2009, Philipp Scholz Rittermann travelled to China to photograph the country’s development along the Grand Canal, the world’s oldest and longest man-made canal. Over 2000 years old, the canal runs more than 1000 miles connecting Beijing in the north and Hangzhou in the south.

Rittermann documents the human, industrial and natural landscapes of this rapidly developing country. The photographs take you down the canal contrasting the rural terrain and growing urbanization; uninhabited skyscrapers tower over village markets, coal towers dominate relaxing evening views and young men in modern attire pose before ancient statues. These large-scale high resolution panoramic images have been described as visual poetry.