Chinese Landscape Photography

Author: Li Boqin, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Photography is a window, deeply preserving all past memories, and gazing into a broader world! A selection of the finest from over 10,000 outstanding landscape photography works; more than 200 passionate and dreamlike landscapes; the creative experiences of over 100 renowned photographers! Over a century of Chinese landscape photography has witnessed the relationship between the Chinese people and nature, reflecting the cultural journeys of photographers through political, economic eras. From imitating ancient paintings to celebrating power and lifestyle consumption, Chinese landscape photography has always maintained a distance from its true subject, appearing overly artistic. The excessive artistic interpretation of nature stems from our deep-rooted peasant consciousness. Over two millennia of agricultural civilization has led us to view nature as a resource for exploitation rather than a life-sustaining companion. We lack reverence for nature, instead observing it through a subjective, "aesthetic" lens of an art salon. This has resulted in landscape photography being an alienated and distorted existence, detached from China's modernization process. Fortunately, in recent years, some landscape photographers have begun to recognize this issue, allowing us to rediscover the radiance and essence of nature in their works. The journey of Chinese landscape photography has been fraught with challenges. As society modernizes, the relationship between nature and humanity will be increasingly cherished, and nature will undoubtedly receive our sincere embrace. We will see more landscape photography that truly resonates with the photographers' hearts, and those will be the most hopeful and beautiful landscapes of our national civilization.