A month-long photography exhibition titled “Us·Them” wrapped up on May 19 at the 798 Art Zone in Beijing. The exhibition posed a question to visitors: “Can you tell the differences between these photos?” Eighty photos by 21 Chinese and 21 foreign photographers were exhibited to convey different views of China.

Subjects in photos included a vendor selling masks in thick smog, an elderly man reading the Bible at a nursing home, a bride waiting to be picked up for her wedding, a disabled person sitting in a wheelchair wearing a T-shirt with the word “rage,” a girl passing a huge billboard with a Barbie doll, a Buddha statue discarded in a parking lot, a second-generation migrant worker and a pocketed Chunghwa cigarette packet.

Xiao Yu, a visitor at the exhibition from Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, had a difficult time guessing which photos were taken by Chinese and foreign photographers. After a while, she noticed a difference: Chinese photographers paid more attention to scenes in streets and markets, while foreign photographers were more inclined to capture abstract scenes. “There was a much gloomier feeling in the photos by foreign photographers, while hope was to be found in those by Chinese photographers,” said Xiao.

Foreign photographers’ perception of China seemed to be more from two or three decades ago, added Xiao..

“Chinese photographers depict China systematically, while foreign photographers have a more disorderly perception. They don’t understand China,” said Yi Jing, another visitor.

There was further resentment toward foreign photographers from a visitor who didn’t appreciate a photo of a naked woman lying in the corner of a run-down residential building in Wudaokou, Haidian district. But curator Na Risong explained that shooting comparatively grim subjects was favored by foreign photographers. They took their photos for fun rather than trying to capture the reality of China, Na said.

Different visitors have different understandings and interpretations of photos, which is exactly what the curators want: to let photos speak for themselves.

The photos were not all “professional,” even though they seemed to be under the same theme. They all came from the Internet, including social networking sites Weibo, WeChat, Facebook, Flickr and professional photography websites. Most photographers were amateurs. Interestingly, it was the American actor Jonathan Kos-Read, known in Chinese as Caocao, who came up with the idea for the exhibition.

“Foreigners and Chinese are quite alike in many respects, but they produce different photos. I think this is quite fascinating. This is why I had the idea of showing different images of China by foreign and Chinese photographers,” Kos-Read said. In May 2013, Kos-Read came to the 798 Art Zone with dozens of photos he had carefully chosen. His proposal for an exhibition was politely declined by several curators before he met Na.

“As a professional curator who has seen many excellent photos, I wasn’t especially impressed by these photos. Nevertheless, the authenticity of these photos aroused my feelings,” said Na, who used to think that most photos taken by foreign photographers were for a distinct purpose. However, almost all the foreign photographers Kos-Read chose were travelers. Unlike professional photographers, their photos were primarily for sharing on social media.

Curators believe these photos reflect different perspectives, expressions and attitudes of different photographers about modern China. Such differences allow for a more open understanding of photos in the context of their background.

“The whole exhibition is a satire of modernity. The difference is that there is more criticism in Chinese photographers’ photos because they approach life here more deeply. For foreign photographers, they have more curiosity about politics and people’s living conditions,” said a visitor.

Na and Kos-Read also found that foreign photographers had an interest in China’s symbolic subjects, and were sensitive to contradictions at the macro level. For example, there was a photo of a statue of Mao Zedong and another of ruins and prosperity in a city. Both showed a strong sense of composition. Chinese photographers paid more attention to specific groups and their appeal.

On the exhibition’s message board, many people wrote their observations about the differences of photos by Chinese and foreign photographers. The latter captured light comedy, while the former were farcical; where Chinese see life, foreigners see surprise.

From these differences, we can see something in common. “Every photo tells a story. Some tell you ‘this is China,’ while others tell you ‘this is humanity,’” said Kos-Read.

　　Translated by Du Mei

　　Revised by Tom Fearon