Synopses & Reviews
The flourishing of photography as a medium in the mid-19th century coincided with a rise in curiosity about China on the part of the Western world.and#160; As the number of foreigners living and traveling in China increased, early photographs of China were taken by and for an international audience. Among the Celestialsand#160;assembles 250 fascinating images of China in the second half of the 19th century and first half of the 20th, captured by the Western camera lens. The photographs portray the gritty side of the country as well as stunning views of palaces, temples, harbors, and gardens. This juxtaposition of the sordid and the serene provides a multidimensional picture of Chinaand#8217;s physical and social landscape before Mao Zedongand#8217;s ascent to power changed the country forever. The photographs, many published here for the first time, are both beautiful and moving, and together offer a new understanding of a social and cultural history associated with a time of significant historical change.and#160;
Review
andlsquo;Among the Celestials assembles 250 fascinating images of China in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, captured by the Western camera lens. . .This juxtaposition of the sordid and the serene provides a multi-dimensional picture of Chinaandrsquo;s physical and social landscape before Mao Zedongandrsquo;s ascent to power changed the country forever. The photographs, many published here for the first time, are both beautiful and moving, and together offer a new understanding of a social and cultural history associated with a time of significant historical change.andrsquo;andmdash;The Independent on Sundayandnbsp;
Synopsis
With photographs ranging from the sordid to the serene, this publication provides a multidimensional picture of Chinaand#8217;s physical and social landscape before Mao Zedong changed the country forever.
About the Author
Ferry Bertholet is an artist, author, and collector. Lambert van der Aalsvoort is an historian, author, and collector. Rand#233;gine Thiriez is a researcher in 19th-century photography in China. and#160;