Is That Us

Ziyu Zhang lead a group documenting project, "The Second Life of Things," offers a nuanced exploration of China's burgeoning second-hand market culture. Moving beyond the simplistic narrative of "reducing waste," her work investigates the complex consumer psychology driving this phenomenon, where desire outpaces purchasing power, finding its outlet in thrift. Through intimate video portraits of market vendors and shoppers, they capture the vibrant, weekly ritual that has become a mainstream urban pursuit—a cultural space that is both a practical marketplace and a site of ecological consciousness. Their research, spanning online platforms and physical markets in major cities like Shanghai, Chongqing, and Chengdu frames the act of buying second-hand not merely as consumption, but as a philosophy of granting objects "a second life." The project meticulously documents the ecosystem's diversity, from electronics and fashion to furniture and books, presenting a textured portrait of a society renegotiating its relationship with material culture, sustainability, and value itself.