The streets of Pingyao contain as much dirt as brick. When a truck roars up one of its main streets, pedestrians and cyclists are covered with choking dust. The woman’s costume plays a big part in this story. Her white pants are, for the moment anyway, still pristine. Her bright red shirt is the focal point of the image. Yet all around her, the dust flies and everything but her seems dirty. Eyes shut, lips pursed, she makes the best of a bad morning. She seems used to it. Why else would she wear white pants while riding a bike here? Pingyao’s City Tower in the background lends context – we know this is Old China. Dust and dirt and time itself are all characters in this story of street life in Pingyao.