An exhibition in Beijing is showcasing the history of Chinese photography in the 20th century. This is the first Chinese photographic collection exhibition held at the National Art Museum of China.

With the title of "the story of light and shadow", the exhibition displays 266 original works by 100 photographers in the history of 20th-century Chinese photography, of which 231 are early original works, 35 are limited edition works signed by the photographer, and some are the only existing originals.

The exhibits are chosen from among more than 2,000 pieces collected by exhibition curator and photographic collector Huang Jianpeng.

"The exhibition covers Chinese photographic history in nearly 100 years, from 1918 to 1990s. There are three sections, namely the classic works, works by masters and works in the latter half of the 20th century," said Huang.

From artistic enlightenment, humanistic documentary to modernistic exploration, Chinese photography in the 20th century has gone through different stages of development. The works on display not only fully explain the unique role of photography in Chinese modern and contemporary art history, but also show the deep interaction and connection between the history of Chinese and international photography.