On the afternoon of Thursday, December 4, the Humanities Research Center (HRC) opened its doors to 枕河人家 Riverbank Homes, an exhibition that brings the quiet stories of Suzhou’s Shantang Street (山塘街) into vivid conversation with the present. Curated by Honey Huang and developed through Senior Lecturer of Chinese Language Professor Li Xu’s community-based learning project for CHINESE 401B Advanced Chinese – Issues in Modern China (Fall 2025), the exhibition serves as both an academic effort and an artistic reflection. In collaboration with Jiawen Cai and Isaac Zhu from the Office of Student Experience, the project guided students into the living textures of the neighborhood—its waterways, alleyways, and the people who continue to preserve its memory.
Displayed in the HRC’s HUM Room, the 50 student photographs, along with the curator’s own works, trace the shifting landscape of a place caught between preservation and progress. Together, they explore how displacement becomes more than a policy term; it becomes a question of belonging, continuity, and the fragile threads that bind communities to their riverbank homes.
Approximately 100 guests filled the opening space, creating a lively yet reflective atmosphere. Honey Huang gently signaled the start of the program before welcoming Professor Xu, who spoke about the pedagogical roots of the project and the importance of listening closely to community voices. Following her remarks, Professor Selina Lai Henderson, Co-Director of the Humanities Research Center, emphasized the importance of supporting student-driven creative inquiry, acknowledging both the HRC’s funding and the HUM Room as a space for such exchange. She was then followed by Dean Christopher Van Velzer of Student Experience, who reflected on the value of community-based learning and the partnership that allowed this project to come together. The final remarks were given by Ms. Li, who attended alongside her father, Mr. Li, both residents of Shantang Street whose lived experiences shaped the class’s understanding of the area’s transformation. Their quiet authority offered the room a sense of grounding—as if the river itself had entered the gallery and begun to speak.
Throughout the afternoon, students stood by their artworks, offering visitors not just explanations but stories—moments of observation, encounters with residents, and the emotions that accompanied their photographic work. Traditional Suzhou treats, qingtuan (青团) and dingsheng gao (定胜糕), along with fragrant biluochun (碧螺春) tea, created an inviting atmosphere, as if encouraging everyone to pause, taste, and reflect.
Riverbank Homes will stay on display in the HUM Room through the end of December, continuing to draw viewers into its layered story of loss, resilience, and life along Suzhou’s historic canals. It’s an exhibition that doesn’t just show change—it encourages us to think about what it means to stay connected, even as the water keeps flowing.
