Tomorrow Will Be Longer






In the summer of 2021, under the guidance of a friend, I attended the "Limitless Music Festival" at Fudan University for the first time. Organized by the "Musicians Alliance," this campus music festival has invited emerging bands from within and outside the university for 18 years. Initially held on campus, the festival relocated to the nearby NEO bar starting in 2020 due to the pandemic. This bar, located within the Fudan Entrepreneurship Park, is frequented by students from surrounding universities.

At that time, most activities on campus had come to a standstill, and students spent their days quietly studying. I had not seen vibrant, free-spirited young individuals in a long time. They danced, embraced, lounged on the grass while drinking, and laughed and sang on stage—behaviors that starkly contrasted with their usual composed selves in the classroom. Although I initially had little interest in such gatherings, I was struck by their unrestrained emotions on that dull night, prompting me to delve deeper into this community. In an increasingly isolating world where human connection is often overlooked, I sought to refocus my attention on people, using them as a lens to explore interpersonal relationships and reconnect with my surroundings.

This project continued until June 2023, marking the graduation of my friends and subjects. A frequently visited venue during this time was "Al Garden," another bar opened by Fudan alumni. Despite being a bar, the owner often organized music, film, art, and literary events, making it a vibrant cultural exchange space for many students. Here, people gathered after class to chat, drink, perform, and even date.

Over the course of two years, my relationship with this group evolved from strangers to friends, culminating in farewells. The selected works from this journey form the exhibition titled The Longer Tomorrow. As I curated these photographs, the faces before me echoed the lyrics of Dou Wei’s song "The Longer Tomorrow": “Running recklessly, unbridled and stumbling, towards a embrace that makes me feel safe, leaving yesterday behind to embrace hope, bidding farewell to the night and waiting for dawn. The past glories no longer matter; tomorrow is longer.”

Through studying, writing, loving, and living in the moment, as tonight fades away, I find that tomorrow stretches ahead, ever longer.