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2023年七月，我与朋友从乌鲁木齐，沙依巴克区出发，踏上了前往塔城地区的公路旅行。沿着北疆环线，途经昌吉回族自治州，博尔塔拉蒙古自治州，和伊犁哈萨克自治州，最终回到乌鲁木齐。新疆地域辽阔，目的地之间相隔甚远，我们每天的基础路程都在500公里以上。新疆的白昼时间远比内地其他地方要长，日落在北京时间的夜晚十一点半左右，也就是子夜时分。入夜以后山路难行，为了安全起见，在旅行开始几天后，我的朋友不得不对我说“不可以再为了一张照片耽误这么久了。” 连续的长途车程导致大家都有些疲惫，所以当我们途经阿勒泰地区的窝依莫克镇时，不约而同地被远处阳光下闪闪发光的白色毡房和繁茂的草原吸引了。就这样，我们临时改变了旅程计划，意外驶入了一种我们不曾了解的，奇妙而生机勃勃的生活。

 

在窝依莫克镇阿肯贵特，我们认识了娜耳巴合和米耳一家，他们是过着游牧生活的哈萨克族人。我从和娜耳的对话中得知，哈萨克这个族名在古突厥语中是“自由、无拘无束”的意思。他们每年的五月都会来到这里，在冬季来临前搬走，随着季节的更替迁徙。阿勒泰是个雪国，冬天的积雪厚度可达到两米有余。每年等到积雪融化，一家子人就会先骑上马，把毡房的木头及零件盖住厚布，再把生活用品放在马背和骆驼背上拴住。此时剩下的人再骑上马，管理羊牛，把它们赶到山上。到达牧场后，就开始搭建毡房，用网建个小小的圈，小牛和小羊会住在里面。白日放牛放羊，闲时采摘新生的小草莓，午后和同伴一起爬树，夜晚看星星月亮。回家后和家里的大人一起挤牛奶，煮牛奶，临睡前再喝上热气腾腾的一杯。娜耳如此描绘她的游牧生活。对哈萨克族人来说，游牧生活是一个自然而然的过程，还有一种继承家族传统的使命感。

 

作为一名镜头艺术创作者，我在半年内往返了三个国家，十余个城市，成为了一个非典型的数字游民。我在这期间经常会被问到两个问题，第一个问题多来自于朋友，你去这个地方有什么目的？是去工作，还是读一个学位？另一个则是我在试图获得一些创意劳动工作时面试者常问到的，你的常驻地区是哪里？这两个问题看似简单却又难以回答。数字游民是全球化时代生活方式的一个缩影，也是现代社会流动性的一种写照。脱离传统社会体制和定居生活，不断面对未知环境中的生存问题，以及它带来的关于自由和孤独的挑战。

 

“在午夜降临前抵达”是我对传统游牧文化和当代数字游民生活的反思和写意回溯。这次旅程使我重新审视了游牧哲学与生存本能之间的联系，当一个人脱离对固定空间的依恋，并长期保持对周边环境的敏感和好奇，什么是家？什么是生活？走着走着，人类最本质和最当下的需求反而浮现出来，生命的要义在辽阔的荒芜之中不言自明。对于数字游民生活中产生的迷茫，焦虑，和具象的漂泊感，我想以这组游牧生活的照片作一种柔和的回应。当代游牧，是肉身的漂泊，也是心灵光景。

 

In July 2023, my friends and I set off from Shayeback District in Urumqi on a road trip to the Tacheng area. Along the Northern Xinjiang Loop, we passed through Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, and Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture before eventually returning to Urumqi. Xinjiang's vast territory meant significant distances between destinations; our daily basic travel distance exceeded 500 kilometers. Daylight in Xinjiang lasted much longer compared to other mainland regions, with the sunset occurring around 11:30 PM Beijing time, which is midnight. Traveling on mountain roads at night became difficult, and for safety reasons, a few days into the journey, my friend had to tell me, "We can't delay so much just for a photograph anymore."

 

The consecutive long journeys left everyone somewhat fatigued. Therefore, when we reached Woyimok Town in the Altay region, we were collectively drawn to the shining white felt tents and lush grasslands under the distant sunlight. Consequently, we spontaneously altered our travel plans and unexpectedly ventured into a vibrant and wonderful lifestyle that we had never encountered before.

 

In Woyimok Town of Akenguit, we met the Nar and Mir’s family, who were Kazakh nomads. Through conversations with Nar, I learned that "Kazakh" in ancient Turkic means "free and unrestrained." Every May, they would arrive here and depart before winter set in, migrating with the changing seasons. Altay is a snowy region, with snow depths reaching over two meters in winter. When the snow melts each year, the family would load wood and parts of the felt tent onto horses, camels, and transport their essentials. Some would manage the cattle and drive them up to the mountains upon reaching the pasture. They would then construct the felt tent, create enclosures for calves and lambs, spend their days herding, picking fresh strawberries during leisure time, climbing trees in the afternoon with companions, and gazing at the stars and moon at night. They would return home to milk the animals together, boil milk, and enjoy a steaming cup before sleep. This is how Nar depicted their nomadic life. For the Kazakh people, nomadic life is a natural process intertwined with a sense of inheriting family traditions.

 

As a lens based artist, within six months, I traveled back and forth between three countries and over ten cities, becoming an atypical digital nomad. During this time, I was frequently asked two questions: one from friends about the purpose of my visits—whether for work or education—and another commonly posed during interviews when seeking creative work: "Where is your base?" These seemingly simple questions were difficult to answer. The digital nomad represents a microcosm of the lifestyle in the era of globalization and reflects the mobility in modern society. Detached from traditional societal structures and settled life, constantly facing survival issues in unknown environments, it brings forth challenges of freedom and solitude.

 

“Be there before sundown" reflects my contemplation and retrospective expression of traditional nomadic culture and the contemporary life of digital nomads. This journey prompted me to reevaluate the connection between nomadic philosophy and the instinct for survival. When one detaches from attachment to fixed spaces and maintains sensitivity and curiosity about the surrounding environment for an extended period, what defines home? What defines life? Walking along, the most fundamental and immediate human needs emerge, and the essence of life becomes self-evident amidst the vast wilderness. I want to respond tenderly with this collection of nomadic life photographs, echoing the confusion, anxiety, and tangible sense of drifting that arises in the life of a digital nomad. Modern nomadism is both physical wandering and a mental landscape.