Everyday, busloads of Russians cross the Chinese border to visit border towns, such as Suifenhe and Dongning, in order to buy cheap Chinese goods. They are entrepreneurs, here for business. The items that are on the market range from textiles, to timber, to scrap metal. However, behind this buzz of legitimate business there is a parallel economy of black-market trade, prostitution, and organized crime that has turned the border area into a seedy no-man's land.

    In contrast, the North Korean border is deadly quiet due to the ongoing famine. The tragic situation across the Tumen River means that there is regular influx of North Korean refugees crossing the borders into China. There is a climate of fear as Chinese authorities catch and repatriate North Korean immigrants on the streets of North Eastern Chinese cities.

    Merging Boundaries is a 1,000 kilometre road-trip along the Sino Russian North Korean border. Beginning in 2000, this is the oldest of Teh’s works and perhaps his most personal. The tense atmosphere in these border towns, especially in the tri-border city of Hunchun, reflects the underlying pulse of the region's problems. They are artificial places, special economic zones created from governmental mandates. In Merging Boundaries, these surreal intersections between the three last communist bastions constitute the photographer’s rich, colorful playground.

Merging Boundaries - 01, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 02, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 03, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 04, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 05, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 06, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 07, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 08, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 09, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 10, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 11, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 12, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 13, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 14, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 15, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 16, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 17, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 18, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 19, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 20, Ian Teh

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Merging Boundaries - 21, Ian Teh

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