PHOTOS: One Man's Portraits Show How Much China Has Changed

By Ryan Kilpatrick

Since the day he turned 27, Fuzhou businessman Ye Jinglu had a portrait taken of himself every year until his death in 1968.

The collection of photographs, recently acquired by collector Tong Bingxue, reflect one man's life against the backdrop of a constantly changing China.

From his first picture replete with the mandatory Manchu braid, the subject dons Western garb, cuts his queue after the Qing Dynasty is overthrown, and goes through the tumultuous journey of Republican China wearing scholar's robes and Tang jackets before putting on a Lenin cap to fit into Mao's 'New China.'


1907

1909

1912

1916

1920

1924

1925

1932

1935

1938

1941

1949

1950

1953

1955

1959

1964

1968

[Images via Hyperallergic]

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