What reality does the old China in Thomson’s lens reflect?

In 1873, a photo album titled "China and Her People" was published in England. The author, John Thomson (1837-1921), was born in Edinburgh and is a famous British "street photographer". This photography album contains 200 photos he took during his two visits to China in 1862 and 1869.

"China and Her People" comprehensively reflects all aspects of Chinese society. Among them, there are works showing China's beautiful rivers, mountains and city scenery, as well as scenes of people engaged in productive labor and daily life; there are private gardens of foreign compradors, and the living conditions of the lowest social class. These photos show certain representative characters: Prince Gong after Xinyou's coup, aristocratic women, poor people waiting for employment in the market, opium smokers, thin watchmen, prisoners wearing wooden shackles, as well as shaved heads, pedicures, Foreign film and other craftsmen have become Thomson's photographic subjects.

Each photo in the album is accompanied by a detailed description, which was recorded during the shooting process. For example, in the photo "Old Factory Site in Guangdong", the western-style building in the picture forms a strong contrast with the shabby thatched cottages around it.

Taking small street scenes is Thomson’s specialty. "A corner of downtown Guangzhou" and "Jiujiang Street Scene" embody this point very well. The former uses vertical lines occupying the screen to express the prosperous scene of Guangzhou's commercial district with numerous shops and various plaques densely interlaced; the latter selects four representative vendors on the street, and through clever composition and use of light, It shows a custom picture with Chinese characteristics.

In addition, while in China, Thomson also published two photography collections, "Beijiang Scenery" and "Minjiang Scenery", which played a certain role in expanding the influence of photography in China.