Portraits of reform

The funeral of the village head Wang Xitang's mother. David Crook

Gao and Taikang's curation team visited Shilidian several times before the exhibition. They found more than one-third of the villagers are working and living in neighboring Wu'an, Hubei's provincial capital.

"But the inherent cultural system - for instance, the ethics people comply with and the patriarchal clan they belong to - hasn't changed much with urbanization," he says.

One photo shows villagers celebrating the Lantern Festival by performing "tai ge" (platform lifting), a traditional ritual in many rural areas. Children dress up like historical figures and fairytale characters, and stand on a square podium lifted and carried by adults.

"We visited Shilidian during the festival, and people still entertain themselves in the same way," Gao says.

But there's one striking difference, he points out.

"In the photo, children play the roles of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin, or the Goddess of Mercy) and squires. Now they dress up as the god of wealth."

Contact the writer at linqi@chinadaily.com.cn.