Fifty to know the fate

What prompted you to undertake the series of photographs in your work ‘Identical Twins’?

I was born in Shandong province and went to two primary schools, two middle schools, and five high schools. Sometimes, just when I had adapted to an environment, I then had to go to another place. Most people knew me during the transfer period; however, it was very difficult for me to remember everyone.

What impressed me most was that there were three pairs of twins among my classmates and each of them had a different fate. One of the twins went to college but the other one kept trying for more than ten years but still failed. People often compared them and there is no doubt that it would bring strong pressure to their lives.

This is my basic memory of the twins I know. In 2005, during which, which discusses St Augustine’s statement in , using the fates of twin brothers to criticise astrology – and it was really fascinating to me. It was not an original argument by St. Augustine, but derived from the Greek skeptic Carneades, one of the leaders in Plato’s garden, who said, “People born at the same time, differ in temperament and fate.” When I entered college, I noticed that many people around me were attracted by astrology, so that their understanding of other people was entirely preconceived. I inevitably fall into a certain constellation, which is certainly not as honourable as a star being named after you. If we see in this way, then our natures have all been determined since we were born.