I came to Kaiping for the famous watchtowers. That was the plan, at least. But somewhere between the old villages, quiet streets, and strange little details, I got completely distracted by everything else.
Kaiping is a small town in Guangdong, China, known around the world for its diaolou — a unique mix of Chinese and Western architecture built by overseas Chinese families. But this video isn’t really a history lesson. It’s more about what happens when you arrive with one idea of a place, and leave with a completely different feeling.
I’m Craig, an introverted filmmaker in China. I use my camera as an excuse to enter places I don’t fully understand — and hopefully understand something human by the end.
This is Kaiping, Guangdong.