Exhibition of photographs offer rare insight into life in fast-changing China

An exhibition of photographs that focus on daily life in China in order to show the impact and changes brought about by the nation's economic reforms opened on Sunday at the Natural History Museum in London.

Organized by the China Photographers Association, the four-day exhibition, themed Dream and Memory, marks the 40th anniversary of the start of China's reform and opening-up.

Initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, the reforms opened China to foreign investment and gave individuals the opportunity to start private businesses. During the past few decades, they have resulted in the transformation of China'seconomic, social and physical landscape, bringing benefits and new challenges and setting the nation on its current development path.

The exhibition was unveiled at the Natural History Museum among dinosaur fossils and stuffed finches. It purposefully steers clear of the "epic" narrative of China's reform and opening-up, according to Xiang Xiaowei, minister counselor for culture at China's embassy in the UK, who spoke at the event.

In contrast with the economic statistics usually used to demonstrate the magnitude of change resulting from the reforms, the photographs of everyday life offer a more intimate vantage point from which to view the changes to Chinese life, from material wealth to exposure to foreign culture.

Yang Yueluan, vice-president of China Photographers Association, said he hopes the approach will allow visitors to better understand modern China.

The series of images spanning 1955 until the present day show not only how pre-reform China contrasts with the present but how the pace of reform has picked up during the last 40 years.

A photo of a woman dancing in a flamenco dress at a New Year party hints at foreign influences that have crept into daily Chinese life. Meanwhile, an image of a man surrounded by a crowd as he buys a sewing machine in 1980 contrasts sharply with a photo from 2016 of employees of Jack Ma's e-commerce giant Tmall celebrating a turnover of more than 120 billion yuan ($17.4 billion) during a one-day online shopping festival.

The effects of reform and opening-up on the world of Chinese photography is probably not at the forefront of the minds of most people but Yang said the huge changes in China have given photographers "very rich subject matter".

After its opening night at the museum, the exhibition moved to the Bloomsbury Gallery in central London, where the public can see it for free until it closes on Wednesday.

Alexandra Boulton in London contributed to the story.