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# Mountains and Oceans of Trash
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/mountains-and-oceans-of-trash/
- Published: 2013-05-17T02:00:55.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:45:26.000Z
- Description: SAN FRANCISCO — Pollution and health have been on the Chinese mind as of late. From dead pigs in Shanghai to tips for avoiding bad air in Beijing, a clean environment can be difficult to find. Smog and water pollution have become a feature of China's urban landscape, creating a hazard not just for C
- Author: AX Mina
- Tags: Opinion, environment, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 06:59 (2012, 2013, part 2)

![yaolu2](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/yaolu2-e1368169439789.jpg)

(All images copyright Yao Lu, courtesy of Bruce Silverstein Gallery, NY)

SAN FRANCISCO — Pollution and health have been on the Chinese mind as of late. From [dead pigs in Shanghai](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/29/dead-pigs-china-water-supply?ref=hyperallergic.com) to [tips for avoiding bad air in Beijing](http://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1140115/beijings-crazy-quick-fixes-toxic-air-canned-air-bicycle-powered-air?ref=hyperallergic.com), a clean environment can be difficult to find. Smog and water pollution have become a feature of China’s urban landscape, creating a hazard not just for Chinese citizens but people all over the world.

Traditional Chinese ink paintings are often known as [*shanshui*](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanshui?ref=hyperallergic.com), or mountain and water. Unfortunately, much of China’s water is no longer drinkable, and its mountains are difficult to find behind the smog. It’s a topic ripe for creative exploration.

![yaolu1](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/yaolu1-e1368169407355.jpg)

I recently stumbled upon [the work of Yao Lu](http://www.psfk.com/2013/03/chinese-landfill-landscapes.html?ref=hyperallergic.com) on PSFK. As I clicked past, I was surprised to see the design blog featuring such a traditional landscape. But as I looked closer, I noticed that what was supposed to be an ink painting was actually a photograph. Yao carefully adjusted the image on Photoshop to create the semblance of a *shanshui* painting, down to little details like a red chop for the artist’s signature.

[In a statement online](http://www.prixpictet.com/portfolios/earth-shortlist/yao-lu/statement/?ref=hyperallergic.com), Yao described his project, dubbed *New Mountain and Water*:

> Today, China is developing dramatically and many things are under constant construction. Many things have disappeared and continue to disappear. The rubbish dumps covered with the ‘shield’, a green netting, are a ubiquitous phenomenon in China.

What’s most striking about the work is the way it twists China’s idyllic scenes into a comment on the contemporary landscape. There’s a haunting beauty to these mountains of trash, and if the world would rather forget its dumpsters, maybe art can compel us to look at them again.

![Yao Lu, "Mountain Trek" (2009)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/large_4ca630098c9de.jpg)

Yao Lu, “Mountain Trek” (2009)

!["Mountain and Straw Houses in the Summer" (2008)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/large_4ca62c95b94a6-640.jpg)

Yao Lu, “Mountain and Straw Houses in the Summer” (2008)

![Yao Lu, "Autumn Mist in the Mountain with Winding Streams" (2007)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/large_4ca62b867a09a-612.jpg)

Yao Lu, “Autumn Mist in the Mountain with Winding Streams” (2007)

![Yao Lu, "View of the Autumn Mountains in the Distance" (2008)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/large_4ca62cd1133bc-614.jpg)

Yao Lu, “View of the Autumn Mountains in the Distance” (2008)

![Yao Lu, "Early Spring on Lake Dong Ting" (2008)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2013/05/large_4ca62c56e067b-660.jpg)

Yao Lu, “Early Spring on Lake Dong Ting” (2008)