China in Western Frames

by+Gong+Haiying

Born in 1923 in France， Marc Riboud was the first Western photographer to visit China after the founding of New China in 1949. The black-and-white photos he took during his stay create vivid illustrations of dramatic changes occurring in the country over past decades.

What Riboud shot was not always earthshaking. During his travels around the world， he framed changes in everyday life， particularly with details， trivial yet meaningful.

His love affair with China began in the 1950s. In 1955， he bought a used car and drove all the way from Paris to Calcutta. During this road trip， he met a friend of Zhou Enlai， then Chinese premier. With the premiers permission， he came to China in 1957， when his first photo of China was published.

With great passion and curiosity， Riboud visited China 22 times and caught glimpses of its every corner with his cam- era. Most frames are filled with ordinary lives of ordinary people： farmers， workers， residents of small townships， and urbanites. The things he captured transcend words， showcasing turmoil and transformation which ultimately led to todays situation， and at the same time reflect his thoughts， angles and insights about a foreign culture.

Yang Xiaoyan， an expert image researcher， commented， “During the 1950s and 1970s， wild politics and typical poverty， both contrasting the West， attracted many photographers. What Marc Riboud did was to snap pictures anytime， anywhere he went. Since the 1980s， Riboud has begun to focus his lens on the changes brought by Westernization， mostly evidenced by ads and odd characters in them. In his eyes， Chinese people of the past led a life of mendacious political enthusiasm while today they opt for economic passion.”

Furthermore， “Marc Riboud intended to work on more during his half-century of capturing images in China： He properly shifted his personal observation to a more comprehensive survey of another culture.”

Of course， Marc Ribouds vision and framed images of China are tender and friendly， showcasing a Westerners care and appreciation of the beauty of harmony between history and reality in a great nation in the East.

Over the last 50 years， Marc Riboud has traced the light and shadows unique to China， composing a national image as the country steps forward. Still， he gifted his vision to Chinese photographers， as well as his intuition， sensitivity and fascinating passion. His methodology and on-thespot reporting， as well as his sympathetic humanist spirit， dominated photographic circles in China in the late 1980s and continue to exert a powerful， lasting influence on Chinese photography.