Photography in China

Photography in China dates back to the early 19th century with the arrival of European photographers in Macao. In the 1850s, western photographers set up studios in the coastal port cities, but soon their Chinese assistants and local competition spread to all regions. By the end of the nineteenth century, all major cities had photographic studios where middle class Chinese could have portraits taken for family occasions; western and Chinese photographers documented ordinary street life, major wars, and prominent figures; and affluent Chinese adopted photography as a hobby. Even the Empress Dowager Cixi had her portrait taken repeatedly. In the twentieth century, photography in China, as in other countries around the world, was used for recreation, record keeping, newspaper and magazine journalism, political propaganda, and fine-art photography.

1842-1890, Early History

Wenchang Pavilion aka. Wenchang Tower (文昌阁) of the Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan), before being burnt down. Photograph by Felice Beato, October 1860.
Island Pagoda (金山寺), about 1871, from the album, Foochow and the River Min
Portrait of Li Hongzhang, 1871
Street view of Canton (Guangzhou)

Early images

Early Studios

In the second half of 19th century, some Chinese photo studios were establied, such as Kung Tai (公泰照相樓, ) and Sze Yuen Ming (上洋耀華照相) in Shanghai, and Pun Lun (繽綸) and Afong (A Fong, Ah Fong, Lai Afong, 黎華芳, 1837/1841-1890, ) in Hong Kong.

Pioneers of Photography in China

The first half of 20th century

For this period, we can find plates of the following two Chinese photographers in A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum.

Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976)

Photography in China was seen as a Socialist Realist propagandist tool, and thus a form of fictionalised 'truth telling'.

1976-1993

The aftermath of the Cultural Revolution led to a documentary photography movement that rapidly grew in strength. Many photojournalists worked for the state, and therefore they do not own their copyright in their work.

1993-present

The establishment in 1993 of the East Village area of the capital Beijing, established an artistic coterie that used photography as an adjunct to experimental performance art and conceptual art. In 1994, Rong Rong co-founded the first Chinese conceptual art photography magazine, New Photo.

Many artist-photographers have had success, especially in the west. Although their work has not been as explicitly political as that by very similar conceptual artists in the west, it has used the same repertoire of 'shock'; nakedness, swear words, dead babies and elephant dung, among other items that have now become tired clichés. Some photographers also work in 'Chinese kitsch' - sometimes called "Mao goes Pop" — a collage style very similar to western pop art of the 1960s. Presently, we are reminded of the discursive autonomy contemporary Chinese art is increasingly afforded, seen in works by artists such as Xu Zhen, Xing Danwen, and Zhang Yue - artists who can not be easily summarized under the umbrella of a single artistic praxis such as "kitsch" or "pop" or "shock."

Chinese magazines for photography

See also

External links

Further reading