This Is What China Looked Like In The 1980s

To many locals born in Hong Kong in the 60s, Mainland China in the 70s & 80s was so near and yet so far. Although Mainland China was at the doorstep, it was like a land of mystery. I born in the early 60s, was devoted to photography in the late 70s. In the 80s, as a college student majoring in journalism, followed the fad of travelling in China, brought along my camera and kicked off my adventure.

At that time, I had only started photography for three or four years. Notwithstanding that I had limited knowledge about Chinese customs and culture, with my fervent passion, I many a time travelled to Mainland by rail. My adventure lasted occasionally for a few years, till my graduation.

Prior to being digitalised a decade ago, the slides were only stored in storage boxes and not even published. The reappearance of the images inspired my to host a photo exhibition, be it a summary of my young photography life, or as a sharing to young photographers: The photographs you take in your early life, could be the most invaluable ones. Keep up!

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#1 Jinan Station Waiting Room, Jinan, 1984

#2 “Three Ponds Mirroring The Moon”, West Lake, Hangzhou, 1984

#3 Bell Tower, Xi’an, 1984

#4 Trolleybus In Front Of The National Art Museum, Beijing, 1987

#5 Marble Boat At Summer Palace, Beijing, 1985

#6 Prairie, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 1984

#7 Street Of Xuanwu Gate, Beijing, 1985

#8 Imperial Tombs Of Song Dynasty, Gong County, 1984

#9 Baotu Spring, Jinan, 1984

#10 Manchuria Railway From Late Qing Dynasty, Dalian, 1985

#11 Shaolin Monk, Songshan, 1984

#12 Suzhou Ancient Grand Canal, Suzhou, 1984

#13 Suzhou Water Town, Suzhou, 1984

#14 West Side Of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, 1984

#15 Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, Nanjing, 1984

#16 Port Of Dalian, Dalian, 1985

#17 While Horse Temple, Luoyang, 1984

#18 Old Dragonhead, The East Tip Of The Great Wall, 1985

#19 Tiananmen, Beijing, 1984

#20 Elderly Couples Selling Fritters, Suzhou, 1984

#21 Hohhot Railway Station, Inner Mongolia, 1984

#22 An Evening At Zhengyang Men, Beijing, 1985