Pyongyang is focused on scale: Statues are huge, monuments are towering and buildings are vast. Instead, this series of photos shows the details of everyday life.

by Shan Shan Kao

Looking down from the Tower of Juche Idea

by Shan Shan Kao

The ground of an open space next to Kim Il-sung Square, along the Taedong River.

by Shan Shan Kao

People using buckets hand water plants on the roadside in North Korea.

by Shan Shan Kao

A stone path at the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm, halfway between Nampo and Pyongyang.

by Shan Shan Kao

Overhead wire at the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm.

by Shan Shan Kao

The ceiling of the lobby in the Yanggakdo International Hotel, one of only two hotels foreigners are allowed to stay in.

by Shan Shan Kao

A floor pattern at a metro station in Pyongyang.