Over the shoulder — ansitong.com

回望 Over the shoulder
Back-riding donkey, willow branches, stones, everyday objects, etc.
Video recording, installation
2026

按照《柳边纪略》所载路线以“回望”的视角行进，途中的经历、后方的景象、捡拾的动作以及每个站点的在地创作指向了它是如何从中心到达一种边缘，又从边缘重新折返回中心。最终，这次旅行形成了一次对于后背的考古——后方的样貌仿佛不再缺席，而是越过肩膀、在向前的行迹中被显现出来。

Following the route documented in ‘The Record of the Willow Palisade’ and undertaken from the perspective of “Looking Back,” the experiences along the way, the views behind, the act of gathering, and the site-specific creations at each stop all point to how one moves from a center to an edge, and then turns back from that edge toward the center. Ultimately, this journey becomes an archaeology of the back—the scenery behind is no longer absent, but is revealed over the shoulder, within the forward-moving trace.

《回望 Over the shoulder》是一次旅行创作。杨宾的父亲杨越因卷入浙东通海案被流放宁古塔，《柳边纪略》就是杨宾去宁古塔探望父亲过程中记录的东北文化与风貌。将其中记载的从京师流放到宁古塔的详细路线与站点找到现在地图上对应的地点，进行一次反向的行走——从宁古塔出发，最终到达北京，全程以“后背”的视角行进。

‘Over the Shoulder’ is a travelogue. Yang Bin’s father, Yang Yue, was exiled to Ningguta after becoming implicated in the Zhejiang Eastern Smuggling Case; ‘Notes from the Willow Banks’ documents the culture and landscapes of Northeast China that Yang Bin observed while traveling to Ningguta to visit his father. By locating the specific routes and stops documented in the text—from the capital to Ningguta—on modern maps, the project undertakes a reverse journey: starting from Ningguta and ultimately arriving in Beijing, with the entire journey viewed from the perspective of the “back.”

柳条地图 The Willow Map

柳条边是清朝在东北地区修筑的边界设施，第一期“老边”从威远堡为中心点，南至辽宁凤城，西南到山海关。第二期称“新边”，从威远堡往东北延伸至吉林。于是，我折了一段柳条，将其弯折成这次旅程的线路图。

The Willow Border was a frontier fortification system constructed by the Qing Dynasty in the Northeast. The first phase, known as the “Old Border,” extended from Weiyuan Fort as its central point south to Fengcheng in Liaoning and southwest to Shanhaiguan. The second phase, called the “New Border,” extended northeast from Weiyuan Fort to Jilin. So, I broke off a piece of willow branch and bent it into a map of this journey’s route.

在2300多公里全程朝向后方的记录中，可以看到宁古塔作为一种边缘——它既是终点也是起点，在不断地远离我们。录像中同样呈现了在整个回望的过程中时间、空间、地理和历史的层叠与流变，以及一种景象的变迁。

In this record of over 2,300 kilometers spent looking back, one can see Ningguta as a kind of boundary—both a destination and a starting point—constantly receding from us. The video also captures the layering and flux of time, space, geography, and history throughout this process of looking back, as well as the transformation of the landscape.

在吉林段骑行倒骑驴行进，沿路捡拾木条等材料，直到把车斗拼装、改造成一个“房屋”。最终，这辆历经风霜、经过改造的倒骑驴直接作为沿途捡拾的物品以及在地创作的遗留物的展台，与它们共同组合、构成了一个装置。

While cycling along the Jilin section on a “backward-riding donkey” bike, I collected materials such as wooden planks along the way until I had assembled and converted the bike’s cargo rack into a makeshift “house.” Ultimately, this weather-beaten, modified bike served as a display platform for items gathered along the route and artifacts created on-site, combining with them to form an installation.

曾经的宁古塔将军驻地遗址现今是一片玉米地，只剩石碑作为其曾经存在的某种证明。用橡胶止血带绑在石碑旁边的树间，尽力将干枯的玉米棒发射到被围起来的城墙遗址内部。

The former site of the Ningguta General’s residence is now a cornfield, with only a stone stele remaining as some sort of proof of its past existence. Using a rubber tourniquet tied between the trees beside the stele, I did my best to launch withered corn cobs into the enclosed ruins of the city walls.

宁安大石桥上留存着清代押送流放犯人马车碾过形成的深深的车辙，从此处开始，沿着这些沟壑弹着弹珠行进，直到抵达宁安新建的、1971年通车的工农兵大桥。

Deep ruts remain on the Ning’an Stone Bridge, formed by the carts transporting exiled prisoners during the Qing Dynasty. Starting from this point, I rolled marbles along these grooves until reaching the newly built Workers’, Peasants’, and Soldiers’ Bridge in Ning’an, which opened to traffic in 1971.

在蛟河的前进乡路边捡拾砍下或掉落的松树枝，在里面砍出箭头的形状，这些箭头随着蛟河刚解冻后的湍流摇摆、指向不同方向，有些在途中被石头滞留，有些则不断顺着河流前进、到达远方。

Along the roadside in Qianjin Township, Jiaohe, I gather cut or fallen pine branches and carve arrowheads into them. These arrows sway with the turbulent currents of the recently thawed Jiaohe River, pointing in different directions; some are held back by stones along the way, while others continue to drift downstream, reaching distant shores.

在浑河取一伞水，搬运到盛京驿站遗址的牌坊处，一只发条小船在里面打转，最终沉入水中。

I scooped up a bucket of water from the Hun River and carried it to the archway at the Shengjing Post Station ruins; a small wind-up boat spun around inside it before finally sinking into the water.

长城尽头延伸到海中，其关外的一侧再次被一条平行于它、延伸入海的铁栅栏所包围。一条渔绳在栅栏处燃烧，越烧越长，直到延伸到水边。

The Great Wall extends into the sea at its terminus, its side beyond the Pass once again enclosed by an iron fence running parallel to it and stretching out into the ocean. A fishing line burns at the fence, growing longer and longer until it reaches the water’s edge.

在秦皇岛市双望镇的双望货运火车站开始，戴着一幅自己改装双筒望远镜向东北方向行走，直到望远镜与车站彼此之间再也看不清对方的样貌。

Starting at the Shuangwang Freight Station in Shuangwang Town, Qinhuangdao City, I walked northeast while wearing a pair of binoculars I had modified myself, until the binoculars and the station could no longer make out each other’s features.

三河的蒋福山富有白云岩，这种材料可用作建筑、混凝土等原料。在京东大开发中因高强度开采从而变成了裸露岩壁与地质层的山体。如今已关停成为矿区遗址，开始覆盖植被。在这里，用窜天猴引导墨斗的走向，每段弹上白色的墨线，直到首尾相连，形成一个圈。

Jiangfushan in Sanhe is rich in dolomite, a material used in construction and as a raw ingredient for concrete. During the Great Development of East Beijing, intensive mining transformed the mountain into a landscape of exposed rock faces and geological strata. Now closed and left as a mining site, it is beginning to be covered by vegetation. Here, using a spring-loaded plumb bob to guide the path of the chalk line, white chalk lines are snapped onto each section until the beginning and end meet, forming a circle.

卖力将一群鸽哨抛过北京高各庄检查站关卡旁竖起的铁皮围栏。

I threw a flock of pigeon whistles with all my might over the corrugated iron fence erected beside the Gaogezhuang checkpoint in Beijing.

此外，在这次旅程沿途遇到的江河湖海、山川河流中捡拾石头。比如松花江能捡到松花石，小凌河则能捡到玛瑙、木化石，山海关能捡到掉落的明长城砖，秦皇岛海边能捡到石质的渔网坠……

In addition, I collected stones from the rivers, lakes, seas, mountains, and streams encountered along this journey. For instance, I found Songhua stones in the Songhua River, agate and petrified wood in the Xiao Ling River, fallen bricks from the Ming Great Wall at Shanhaiguan, and stone fishing net weights on the coast of Qinhuangdao...

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