Architecture & Design Finalist

Many of the watchtowers in Jiangmen, in China’s Guangdong Province, were built during the time of the Republic of China (1912–1949), as public refuges and defensive fortresses. Most were constructed by Chinese people living overseas, who had returned to their home towns, or raised funds to build them in the countryside, making them a unique architectural form that combines both Chinese and Western influences. In 2007, the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages in Guangdong were officially designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chen Liang, a native of Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, is an independent photographer and curator. He has won the LensCulture Portrait Award and Critics' Choice Award; the China Photography Annual Ranking; the BarTur Photo Award; and received three nominations for the Sony World Photography Awards.