Chasing fog

About

‘London—--the city of fog’ is one of London’s most well-known stereotypes among people in China. When Dickens’ famous Oliver Twist was introduced in China, the title was literally translated as ‘The orphan in the foggy capital’. Though it has been over half a century since the Great Smog of '52, many Chinese people still expect to be shrouded in fog on their first visit to London.  To the surprise of most, London is mercifully fog-free. Ironically, fog is no longer new to people in today’s China. Pollution has brought Beijing back into the past—-- like London in its fifties and sixties.

On 11th December 2013, an impenetrable fog rolled into London and heavily enveloped the city.  Coincidentally, ‘The 2013 Eastern China Smog’, which is one of the worst bouts of air pollution in the area attacked China within the same month.  The fog that lingered over the two countries blurs the differences between the post-industrial UK and the fast-industrializing China.  However, the fog in the UK makes people reflect the past, whilst the fog in China makes people fear about the future.

Albert's photographs are his artistic response to the environmental and social issues we face today.