IN A LONG-TERM PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY THAT BEGAN IN 2003, I AM DOCUMENTING THE TRANSFORMATIONS OCCURRING IN URBAN RIVERS AND WATERSHEDS IN SEVERAL LARGE INTERNATIONAL CITIES. IN SHANGHAI, CHINA, SUZHOU CREEK'S SHORT LENGTH OF 125 KILOMETRES—IT WINDS ITS WAY FROM TAI LAKE TO THE HUANGPU RIVER IN THE BUND DISTRICT—BELIES THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE THE CREEK HAS PLAYED IN THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC EVOLUTION OF THE CITY.

LOU YE'S FILM OF THE SAME NAME FIRST ATTRACTED ME TO THE SUZHOU. A VISUALLY ARRESTING TALE OF MYSTERY AND OBSESSION, THE FILM DOCUMENTS THE CREEPING INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND OF THE SUZHOU AND THE DISORIENTATION THAT SUCH RAPID CHANGE HAS ON PEOPLE LIVING THERE.

THE SUZHOU, LIKE THE LEA RIVER IN LONDON, WAS AN IMPORTANT SHIPPING ROUTE, ADVANCING TRADE WITH THE INTERIOR OF CHINA. THE MULTITUDE OF FACTORIES THAT WERE ATTRACTED TO THE SUZHOU'S BANKS MADE SHANGHAI AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRIAL CENTER.

LOCALLY ONCE KNOWN AS "THE SMELLY RIVER" DUE TO EXTENSIVE WATER POLLUTION, THE SUZHOU BEGAN A NEW TRANSFORMATION IN 1992. SINCE THEN, THE SHANGHAI GOVERNMENT HAS PURSUED REDEVELOPMENT OF THE RIVER, AND APARTMENT HOUSES AND UP SCALE RESIDENTIAL TOWERS ARE FAST REPLACING DERELICT WAREHOUSES AND FACTORIES.