Koi Over Chongqing Polling Station

Predawn darkness blankets the concrete plaza outside a Chongqing polling station, where municipal sanitation workers in high-visibility vests collect colorful confetti from the wet pavement. Above them, a massive living koi fish floats suspended in the heavy overcast sky, its orange and white scales shimmering under faint ground glow and starlight. The fish's translucent fins ripple as if underwater, casting a soft, diffuse reflection on the slick asphalt below. Workers maneuver heavy carts beneath the impossible creature, their movements small against the fish's immense scale. Red lanterns hang motionless from the station's traditional eaves, illuminating the scene with a muted amber hue that contrasts with the cool blue of the winter night. The fish's tail extends beyond the frame, anchoring the surreal element to the rigid architecture of the civic building.