Through the lens of history

Gui Haowen's creative photography brings ancient artifacts to life, inspiring a new generation to appreciate traditional culture.

In 2017, the Palace Museum in Beijing exhibited a 900-year-old masterpiece, A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains. This classical painting attracted a large crowd, many of whom waited in line for hours to see it. Among them was Gui Haowen, then a 16-year-old high school student.

"I took a few photos with my phone, but they couldn't capture the intricate beauty of the painting," said Gui, now 24 and a graduate student at Tsinghua University.

This experience inspired her to purchase a camera and formally pursue studies in cultural relic photography.

However, Gui soon realized that photographing in museums was no simple task, as museum regulations for relic preservation prohibit the use of flash and tripods, and many exhibits are displayed under dim lighting.

"Taking a well-exposed, clear photo in those conditions was difficult — let alone trying to achieve something artistic," she recalled.

As a result, she learned to adapt and use her surroundings creatively. For example, while photographing a lacquerware relic, she took a low-angle shot that incorporated a museum light into the frame, making it resemble a glowing moon.

"I wanted to evoke the poetic imagery of 'drinking with the moon' described in classical poetry," she explained.

Beyond refining her photography skills, Gui also studied the history of cultural relics to uncover the stories behind them. She found that by understanding an artifact's original purpose and immersing herself in its historical context, she could capture images from the perspectives of its creators or users.

For example, when photographing a silver filigree bowl at the Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs Museum in Guangdong, she carefully adjusted the focus so that the shadow of bamboo patterns behind the bowl blended seamlessly with the foreground. The result was a light-and-shadow effect reminiscent of an ink painting. To achieve the perfect shot, Gui took over 200 photos from various angles.