Candid photography series demonstrates economic and social transformation of Chengdu

This series, Made In Chengdu, was shot in the capital of the Sichuan province, between 2014 and 2015. Larry explains: "Chengdu was placed in a high position of expectation, to become a pillar of economic transformation in western China. And whilst demonstrating a rich cultural identity, within the tightly governed society, lingered a bewildering shift, to a new social and economic age."

Originally from London, photographer Larry Hallegua moved to the Chinese city of Chengdu two years ago to teach English as a foreign language, after a friend suggested he try it out. Larry had previously spent three months teaching in Tokyo the year before and was intrigued to “go back to the continent and discover more”.

As he started to take photographs of Chengdu in order to assimilate himself with his new city, he became aware of deeper economic, social and cultural idiosyncrasies. "I was recording, albeit in a whimsical manner, a city experiencing a growing sense of self-confidence, with sweeping economic and social transformation, and while I didn't set out for the photos to be prescriptive or documentary, I tried to highlight some of the entrenched behaviours that intrigued and bewildered me." All of Larry's photos were taken candidly without any interaction with the subjects. Discover more at www.larryhallegua.com.