In May 2021, Wong Chung-Wai left Hong Kong with his family for a new life in the United Kingdom. During the six months before departure, he walked the city alone with his camera, making an imprint of what he could not carry with him. The resulting book, published by GOST Books in 2023, is a hardback volume of 128 pages.

The photographs attend to Hong Kong’s contradictions: urban infrastructure and nature coexisting, the ancient beside the contemporary, and both artificial and natural light in the city swathed by sea. Though it is among the most densely populated cities in the world, crowds are largely absent; solitary figures appear against cinematic backdrops, and the eye is drawn to overlooked details encountered on foot. The images were made roaming on foot, taking the viewer on a walk through the city he previously called home.

The publisher notes that these photos were initially intended to record the present moment, but now seem more to depict the past, and tell the future. Wong is credited as the photographer throughout, and the publisher’s presentation is consistent.

The book is less a record of departure than a sustained visual lament for the city. It extends the tradition of urban walking as method while remaining specific to its moment.