Endless Dreams — Yufei Ma 马羽非

Endless Dreams / 永远的梦想 (2021-2024)

这是一个关于梦想和河南郑州的一个摄影项目。它就像是一封封我对家乡年轻人们的信，其中包含了关于过去、现在和未来的想法。

当我还是一个小孩的时候，身边的大人总会问我一个问题：你长大以后想要成为什么样的人？又或者你的以后的梦想是什么？这个问题对于什么都不懂的小孩来说或许太过遥远，所以大部分小孩也包括我在内只能在自己有限的认知里尽量回答成为对社会有贡献的那些人，比如说科学家、运动员、医生等等。随后，这些问题将会被抛掷脑后。不过随着年龄的不断长大，小孩也终究有一天长大成人。阅历的增加和对自我需求的不断变化会让这样的问题再次出现在他们的心中。我想成为什么样的人？我的梦想又是什么？

我从小就在郑州这座城市长大，亲眼见证了这座城市的发展和变迁。尽管铁路的便捷让全国各地的人都来到这里，但所有人只在这做短暂的停留，他们的到来只是为了去往远方更远的地方。我的内心常有不甘，也对郑州一直有着许多不满，于是最后我选择离开了这个地方，去了国外上学去实现我一直以来想要的“梦想”。

过去的三年里，每逢假期我都会回到这座熟悉的城市，假期中的每天我都会去到那些我熟悉的地方去寻找些什么。我逐渐发现这座城市依旧还是那个样子，迷茫的年轻人，废弃的商场，还有那些略显破败的公园。在我离开的这段时间，我对梦想的概念也变得有些模糊，过去的记忆和现在所看到的事物交织。这让我想起了小时候对未来梦想的问题，关于这座城市也关于我，我们该何去何从？

这是我拍摄三年的结果，关于梦想、我、还有我长大的家乡的一切。我像是站在了十字路口，许多的过去、现在和未来在此延伸出道路，这些问题像是一个个“永远的梦想”，一个关于未来、自己还有那座城市的答案，也逐渐在这些熟悉又陌生的时刻浮现了出来。

This photography project, titled “Endless Dreams”, is about dreams and the city of Zhengzhou, Henan. It is a letter to the young people of my hometown, reflecting on the past, present, and future.

As a child, adults would often ask me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This question, distant for a child, would elicit answers like scientist, athlete, or doctor—roles seen as beneficial to society. These answers, often given with limited understanding, would be forgotten as we grew. However, as we mature, our experiences and evolving self-needs bring these questions back: “What do I want to become? What are my dreams?”

Growing up in Zhengzhou, Henan, I witnessed its development and changes firsthand. Despite its railway connectivity bringing people from all over, they only stayed briefly, using it as a stopover. This transient nature left me dissatisfied and ultimately led me to leave, pursuing my “dream” abroad.

Over the past three years, I returned to my hometown during holidays, exploring familiar places daily. I found the city largely unchanged: confused youth, abandoned malls, and decaying parks. My concept of dreams grew hazy, with past memories and present sights intertwining. This brought back the childhood question of future dreams, both for the city and for myself. Where do we go from here?

关于郑州的回忆 / The memories of Zhengzhou