Hide & Seek, China’s City Cats, Guangzhou
躲猫猫广州
Photographs by Marcel Heijnen
攝影師：馬奕修
Published by ZIWU Culture, Modern Media
出版社：现代传播有限公司出版．誌屋文化
120 pages, 300+ color plates, 30 x 22.5 cm, Hard cover
120頁, 18 × 13.5 厘米, 精装
Simplified Chinese only
簡體中文
ISBN: 978-988-17972-0-9
At the end of 2015, Marcel Heijnen moved back to Hong Kong and began photographing cats. These cats inhabit corners of the city — in shops, temples, ancestral halls, construction sites, and along the streets — like kings and queens of their own domains. Because cats are elusive and unpredictable, he often had to revisit the same locations. It is precisely this uncertainty that made the process feel like a game of “hide-and-seek.”
Guangzhou was his first stop in mainland China in search of cats, and he especially enjoyed wandering through the city’s traditional old streets. Since his first visit to Guangzhou in 1995, he has witnessed the city’s transformation as well as the comings and goings of countless feline lives. Yet he has always felt fortunate, for in the back alleys of this city he could consistently photograph the cats he cherished, along with the rich cultural foundations of old Canton. In this book, elements such as Lingnan architecture and Cantonese lion dances are vividly present, alongside scenes of everyday local life — relaxed and unhurried, infused with the scents of fresh seafood and temple incense.
The book is divided into three chapters: “Together,” which presents the interactions between humans and cats; “Being,” which focuses on the cats themselves; and “Being Together,” which places the cats back into their environments. Poet Tam Jiong-Ching has written verses to accompany these vivid photographs, using concise language to connect with the deeper emotions behind the images. These photographs speak both of life’s impermanence and of its enduring constancy. You may find that the cats in his lens remain calm and composed — as if, with their quiet presence, the heart itself can find peace.
‘Cats are, of course, the protagonists of these images. Yet at times, these furry little creatures also serve as “icebreakers” that anchor a scene — giving me a reason to smile at shop owners and exchange a few words before pressing the shutter. In China, such an opening often leads to a warm invitation: “Come, sit down and have a cup of tea.” In this way, those fleeting moments continue to live vividly beyond the frame.’ — Marcel Heijnen
About the Photographer
Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen lived in Singapore and Hong Kong for over three decades and now divides his time between Amsterdam and Hong Kong. He has consistently developed a diverse body of photographic work, ranging from feline subjects to art-related themes and everything in between, set against the backdrop of urbanization and transience, capturing different facets of street life in major cities.
2015年底，馬奕修搬回香港，開始了貓咪的拍攝計畫。這些貓棲身於商店、寺廟、宗祠、工地與街頭等城市空間的一隅，宛如各自領地中的國王與皇后。由於貓咪行蹤難測，他不得不反覆回訪同一地點；也正因這份不確定，讓他覺得自己正進行著一場「躲貓貓」的遊戲。
廣州是他在內地尋貓的第一站，他尤其喜歡在廣州傳統老街中漫步。自1995年第一次到訪廣州以來，他見證了城市的變遷，也目睹了貓來貓往的生命流轉。然而他始終感到慶幸，因為在這座城市的老街後巷裡，他總能拍到心儀的貓，以及由此牽引出的老廣文化底蘊。在本書中，嶺南建築與廣東醒獅等元素清晰可見，你也將看到老廣的日常生活——在輕鬆閒適之間，瀰漫著生猛海味與香火氣息。
本書分為三個章節：「在一起」呈現人與貓之間的互動關係；「在」聚焦於貓自身的形態；「一起在」則將貓放回牠所處的空間之中。詩人談炯程為這組生動的照片寫下詩行，在簡潔的文字中勾連圖像背後更深層的情緒。這些照片既道出世事無常，也道出世道有常。你會發現，他鏡頭裡的貓始終安之若素，彷彿只要有貓相伴，心便能安定。
「貓咪自然是這些影像的主角。但有時，這些毛茸茸的小生靈也像是凝住風景的『破冰者』——讓我有理由向店主微笑致意，在按下快門前寒暄幾句。在中國，這樣的開場白往往會換來熱情的邀請：『來，坐下喝杯茶吧。』讓那些瞬間在底片之外繼續鮮活地延伸。」—— 馬奕修
攝影師簡介
荷蘭攝影師馬奕修（Marcel Heijnen）曾在新加坡與香港居住三十餘年，如今往返於阿姆斯特丹與香港兩地生活與創作。他長期致力於發展一系列攝影作品，題材橫跨貓科動物、藝術創作及其之間的多元面向，在城市化與瞬息萬變的背景下，捕捉各大城市街頭生活的不同側面。
Hide & Seek, China’s City Cats, Guangzhou
躲猫猫广州
Photographs by Marcel Heijnen
攝影師：馬奕修
Published by ZIWU Culture, Modern Media
出版社：现代传播有限公司出版．誌屋文化
120 pages, 300+ color plates, 30 x 22.5 cm, Hard cover
120頁, 18 × 13.5 厘米, 精装
Simplified Chinese only
簡體中文
ISBN: 978-988-17972-0-9
At the end of 2015, Marcel Heijnen moved back to Hong Kong and began photographing cats. These cats inhabit corners of the city — in shops, temples, ancestral halls, construction sites, and along the streets — like kings and queens of their own domains. Because cats are elusive and unpredictable, he often had to revisit the same locations. It is precisely this uncertainty that made the process feel like a game of “hide-and-seek.”
Guangzhou was his first stop in mainland China in search of cats, and he especially enjoyed wandering through the city’s traditional old streets. Since his first visit to Guangzhou in 1995, he has witnessed the city’s transformation as well as the comings and goings of countless feline lives. Yet he has always felt fortunate, for in the back alleys of this city he could consistently photograph the cats he cherished, along with the rich cultural foundations of old Canton. In this book, elements such as Lingnan architecture and Cantonese lion dances are vividly present, alongside scenes of everyday local life — relaxed and unhurried, infused with the scents of fresh seafood and temple incense.
The book is divided into three chapters: “Together,” which presents the interactions between humans and cats; “Being,” which focuses on the cats themselves; and “Being Together,” which places the cats back into their environments. Poet Tam Jiong-Ching has written verses to accompany these vivid photographs, using concise language to connect with the deeper emotions behind the images. These photographs speak both of life’s impermanence and of its enduring constancy. You may find that the cats in his lens remain calm and composed — as if, with their quiet presence, the heart itself can find peace.
‘Cats are, of course, the protagonists of these images. Yet at times, these furry little creatures also serve as “icebreakers” that anchor a scene — giving me a reason to smile at shop owners and exchange a few words before pressing the shutter. In China, such an opening often leads to a warm invitation: “Come, sit down and have a cup of tea.” In this way, those fleeting moments continue to live vividly beyond the frame.’ — Marcel Heijnen
About the Photographer
Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen lived in Singapore and Hong Kong for over three decades and now divides his time between Amsterdam and Hong Kong. He has consistently developed a diverse body of photographic work, ranging from feline subjects to art-related themes and everything in between, set against the backdrop of urbanization and transience, capturing different facets of street life in major cities.
2015年底，馬奕修搬回香港，開始了貓咪的拍攝計畫。這些貓棲身於商店、寺廟、宗祠、工地與街頭等城市空間的一隅，宛如各自領地中的國王與皇后。由於貓咪行蹤難測，他不得不反覆回訪同一地點；也正因這份不確定，讓他覺得自己正進行著一場「躲貓貓」的遊戲。
廣州是他在內地尋貓的第一站，他尤其喜歡在廣州傳統老街中漫步。自1995年第一次到訪廣州以來，他見證了城市的變遷，也目睹了貓來貓往的生命流轉。然而他始終感到慶幸，因為在這座城市的老街後巷裡，他總能拍到心儀的貓，以及由此牽引出的老廣文化底蘊。在本書中，嶺南建築與廣東醒獅等元素清晰可見，你也將看到老廣的日常生活——在輕鬆閒適之間，瀰漫著生猛海味與香火氣息。
本書分為三個章節：「在一起」呈現人與貓之間的互動關係；「在」聚焦於貓自身的形態；「一起在」則將貓放回牠所處的空間之中。詩人談炯程為這組生動的照片寫下詩行，在簡潔的文字中勾連圖像背後更深層的情緒。這些照片既道出世事無常，也道出世道有常。你會發現，他鏡頭裡的貓始終安之若素，彷彿只要有貓相伴，心便能安定。
「貓咪自然是這些影像的主角。但有時，這些毛茸茸的小生靈也像是凝住風景的『破冰者』——讓我有理由向店主微笑致意，在按下快門前寒暄幾句。在中國，這樣的開場白往往會換來熱情的邀請：『來，坐下喝杯茶吧。』讓那些瞬間在底片之外繼續鮮活地延伸。」—— 馬奕修
攝影師簡介
荷蘭攝影師馬奕修（Marcel Heijnen）曾在新加坡與香港居住三十餘年，如今往返於阿姆斯特丹與香港兩地生活與創作。他長期致力於發展一系列攝影作品，題材橫跨貓科動物、藝術創作及其之間的多元面向，在城市化與瞬息萬變的背景下，捕捉各大城市街頭生活的不同側面。
