The Changing Face of China: A photographic survey of the post-Mao decades

Completing his project with the SOAS China Institute, John Gittings (Research Associate, SOAS China Institute) has selected some 250 photos from the many thousands that he took while travelling and working in China for over a quarter of a century (1976 to 2003). 

Starting a few months before the death of Mao Zedong, John Gittings made frequent visits to China, working for the Polytechnic of Central London, reporting for The Guardian, and pursuing his own research. He also lived in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

The photos cover key moments in recent history, including the 1978-79 Democracy Wall, the 1989 Tiananmen protests, and the economic transformation and rapid urbanisation of the 1990s and early 2000s. They also offer insights into a wide range of social upheaval and change, with some disturbing echoes from the past. The collection provides vivid images from many parts of China including Xinjiang, Tibet and interior provinces as well as from Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and several provincial capitals. Apart from their pictorial and human value, the photos suggest some interesting questions worth exploring about narrative, interpretation, and history.

John Gittings has discussed some of these issues in three postings on the SCI blog (January, February and December 2025). He has also published a comprehensive study of the same period in his book, The Changing Face of China: From Mao to Market (Oxford University Press, 2006).

Photos in this project may be used, with full acknowledgement, for non-commercial educational purposes.

The photos are arranged in the following image galleries:

1. 1976: Mao’s last year
2. 1978: The first steps away
3. 1980: Society and art
4. 1982-87: From mud to magazines
5. 1989-90: Protest and repression
6. 1991-93: Enterprise and history
7. 1994: Travel in Tibet
8. 1995-99: Past and future
9. 2000-02: The new century
10. 2003: From Qinghai to Shanghai