What was the real China like 30 years ago?

French photographer Yann Layma (Yan Lei) is a man of the hour in the photography field. He has been in China since 1980s, and has been recording the great changes in China in the reform era for 30 years. He is the successor of Bresson and Mark? After Lu Bu, Liu Xiangcheng and other photographers, he focused on the western photographers who have been shooting in China for the longest time and the widest range.

Yan Lei's shots aimed at China are always full of good intentions. Most of his photos are warm and bright, and China people in the torrent of the times appear radiant in them. When he published China-themed photo albums abroad, he specially asked China's editorial to help him choose photos that might hurt China people's feelings.

In the early 1980s, when Yan Lei first came to China, there was a conversation with a small policeman in Sanlitun:

What are you filming? ?

I'm shooting a house, pink, very nice! ?

Not pretty. Come back to my office with me. ?

Beijing Sanlitun Embassy District 1985

According to Yan Lei, when he first came to Beijing, the airport expressway had not been repaired and there were no cars on the road. Occasionally, he can see three or four bicycles. ? I feel particularly gray and dirty. It's all dirt. There are no highways, but they are all dirt roads. In the past, national hotel was also a small road, which was very remote and broken. At that time, I felt that this is a socialist country! . I was 22 years old and thought, oh, what world have I come to? ?

Of course, the 30 years that Yan Lei came to China was also the fastest developing one in China. Today, great changes have taken place in China. It is very open and free, so many friends can live and talk freely. The world is changing rapidly, but China is the fastest and most interesting. I have lived in Beijing for three years, and I am very satisfied here. I got married here and gave birth to a child. I am very happy. I think this life is very different because I had a dream when I was 17 years old. I want to arrange my life to take pictures of China and China. I am most satisfied with my present life. I think my present life is better than my dream when I was 17 years old. ?

Beijing Chang 'an Street 1988

1988, hard sleeper car from Datong to Beijing

Beijing Sanlitun 1986

Wangjing District, Beijing 1986

Beijing Chang 'an Street 1986

1986, Shanghai, people buy stocks at the stadium.

1986, Zhejiang, Hangzhou, West Lake

Datong, Shanxi 1988

Shenyang City, Liaoning Province 1985

Beijing 1987