“Hong Kong has always been my ‘home’, it was where I was born, where my family and childhood friends are, and where many important memories exist,” says photographer Alexandra Leese. Having made the move from Hong Kong to London at the age of twelve, Leese recently returned to her home city with fresh eyes.

What she discovered was a new wave of youth independence, particularly centred around teenage boys and changing attitudes towards Asian masculinity and beauty. “I discovered an emerging youth culture, with boys embracing individuality, something that tended not to be encouraged when I was growing up there,” recounts Leese.

Dismantling old stereotypes and celebrating a progressive attitude, Leese documented this new generation and turned the series into a new 60-page zine titled Hong Kong Boys. “The project quickly started to take on its own voice, with each boy and each place I visited. It became an insight into the lives of these boys, and of this generation in Hong Kong. A intimate portrait series, mostly shot within their homes or places they would take me where they felt most themselves.”

“This project brought me out of the bubble I knew of Hong Kong, allowing me to re-appreciate Hong Kong from a new perspective: it’s beautiful little details, its rich history and culture and the people that make it so unique.”

Follow Alexandra’s work here.