Yangtze The mythical mother river

On December 11, 2023, Dr. Yan Wang Preston (University of Huddersfield) met with the students involved in the project “Proposals for Innovative Teaching in Chinese Language and Culture Studies: From Geography Education to Language Teaching from an Intercultural Perspective.” Dr. Preston presented her photographic project Mother River (2011-2014), in which she spent extensive periods taking photographs at 100 km intervals along the entire course of the Yangtze River in China, covering a total of 6,211 km. She explained the intentions and processes behind the Mother River project, sharing photographs, documentary films created during the expeditions, and anecdotes related to field experiences. During her presentation, she invited students to reflect on the evolution of the pictorial and literary representation of the river within Chinese tradition and its photographic portrayal in modern China, particularly between 1949 and 1990. Through this historical overview, the artist guided students to reflect on the mythical figure of the Blue River, understood as the Mother of China, whose meaning has been shaped and molded over time by iconographic representations filled with ideological significance.