Explore 1980s Beijing Through the Gentle Eye of Adrian Bradshaw
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Luckily for us, it was also during this period of rapid change and renewed hope that the British student took to honing his other budding skill: photography. When he wasn't covering visits by world megastars like Mohammad Ali or crashing the set of Bernardo Bertolucci's filming of The Last Emperor, Bradshaw made it his goal to walk the streets and capture the lives of ordinary citizens.
Bradshaw moved to China in the 1980s, where he would go on to stay for the next three decades
As described in the press release for Bradshaw's new book The Door Opened: 1980s China, which he will personally be promoting at the Beijing International Book Fair, Aug 21-25, the photographer "was in the company of the young people who drove the reform era and built many of the features of 21st Century China: the artists, farmers, entrepreneurs, and industrialists whose enthusiasm and positivity made things happen. This energy that made history is still bursting forth."
Bradshaw's photos have a gentle touch that captures the moment without disturbing the scene
Apart from the onslaught of bicycles, the resulting photographs perhaps don't look so different from Beijing today – a father and his child play in front of the Workers' Gymnasium, a lady sells snacks from behind a sliding window, a lone shopper browses a rag-tag clothes outlet – but they exceed the mundane by the empathy and understanding that Bradshaw provides to his subjects, his camera doing little to disturb the everyday scenes in front of him.
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Bradshaw ended up staying in China for more than 30 years – longer than any other overseas photojournalist. Below, he introduces us to some of his proudest Beijing shots, moments that "built the foundations of an outward-looking, successful, and confident China today."
"One of the first visitors to China I was asked to photograph was the great Muhammad Ali who was being sounded out as an advisor for Beijing's planned entry into the Olympic Games system" - Beijing, 1985
Cui Jian, the rasping and raw rock and roll star in concert - Beijing, 1989
Toy tank time, Workers' Gymnasium - Beijing, 1989
Pierre Cardin fashion show at the newly opened Maxim's, a replica of his glamorous restaurant in Paris - Beijing, 1985
Uninhibited exultation at the first performance by Italian superstar tenor Luciano Pavarotti - Beijing, 1986
A private car was a rare sight in the downtown traffic - Beijing, 1985
The narrow back streets of the Qianmen District had for centuries been a draw for visitors to the capital - Beijing, 1985
Cooling off in a canal - Beijing, 1985
Courtiers take up position in the center of the Forbidden City during a scene in the filming of The Last Emperor directed by Italian legend Bernardo Bertolucci - Beijing, 1985
Displays were full but the range of goods on offer and the zest of the sales assistants were limited - Beijing, 1985
A neighborhood storefront is emblazoned with a slogan reading 'Study election law, follow election law!' - Beijing, 1986
Young Cantonese hairdressers wait for customers at one of the first privately run hair salons in Beijing 1987
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If you'd like your own copy of Adrian Bradshaw's The Door Opened: 1980s China, you can purchase it via the QR code below. Alternatively, visit the publisher's stand at this week's Beijing International Book Fair, Aug 21-25.
Photos: Adrian Bradshaw
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