China: A Photographic Portrait

5 July - 14 September 2008


A sea of bikes is formed by commuters on the way to work.  Wang
Wenlan, 1991, Shanghai. © Wang Wenlan

The Exhibition

Documenting the changing face of China over 50 years,
China: A Photographic Portrait offers an unparalleled look at
changing life in China as viewed through the lenses of 250
Chinese photographers. 

It is a remarkably revealing self portrait.

The exhibition comprises of 590 frank images taken
between 1951 and 2003.  They record in detail the daily
lives of the Chinese people, of all ages and from diverse
backgrounds, at work, rest and play.

The photographs are divided into four distinct themes -
existence, relationship, desire and time – and strikingly
portray the impact radical social upheaval has had on the
individual in recent generations.

Short Films

A new addition to the exhibition is a collection of 11 short
films which provide a further insight into the cultural and
social life of a country which is home to a fifth of the world’s
population.

The films are shown in rotation in a special screening room
as part of the exhibition.

Events Programme

A series of workshops and talks accompanies the exhibition,
from family art classes to lectures by film writer, producer
and director Mark Cousins on Chinese Cinema, and Hong
Kong composer Kimho Ip on Chinese subculture and the
changing music scene.

For full details of the programme please download the pdf
files below.

China: A Photographic Portrait is brought to the City Art Centre 
by the Confucius Institute for Scotland and is a highlight of the
year-long China Now In Scotland festival.

A selection of images from the exhibition

Family and Adult Art Workshops (430 kB)

Lecture Programme (404 kB)

Secondary Schools Programme (494 kB)