When we walk into the cubicles, it seems that we are entering a blocked maze without a way out.

The North Cemetery in the Philippines’ capital of Manila is crowded and dilapidated. It is not just where the deceased rest in peace, but also where many poor people call home. The latter have come from remote villages.

Since most of the lands in the country are monopolized by rich landlords, farmers are forced to become tenant-farmers. Unable to repay their loans, these farmers leave their hometowns reluctantly to seek livelihood in Manila, thus becoming the urban poor.

Many years ago, while reading Seven Dialogues About Photographic Aesthetics (攝影美學七問), a book by Juan I-Jong on photography theories, I extracted a conversation between the author and Mr Chen Tsun-shing that reads: