Through the lens of history

Bridging eras

Last year, Gui photographed a caisson ceiling painted with a starry sky at the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum. Experts had analyzed planetary motion patterns and concluded that this Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) artwork depicted the night sky as it would have appeared during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

"As I gazed at that ceiling, I felt a deep connection to the vast river of history," she said. "Every relic carries a living story. From its creation to the present day, it has been touched and treasured by countless people before finally reaching us."

Experiences like these have led Gui to realize that while people often focus on the aesthetic and cultural value of relics, few explore their relevance to modern society.

She once experimented with an AI tool designed to generate images. When she entered a Tang Dynasty tricolor figurine of a female polo player, the AI consistently generated images of male figures, no matter how she adjusted the prompts.

"We often assume that modern society is more equal and diverse, but this experience made me see how deeply ingrained certain biases still are," Gui said. "Even more than a thousand years ago, there were records of women participating in outdoor sports, yet those histories are often overlooked. There's so much we can learn from the past to inspire our times."

To Gui, relics are more than vessels of historical wisdom — they are carriers of shared human memories.

During a visit to the Wuhan Museum in Hubei, she came across a painting depicting an ancient dock scene in Wuhan from over 500 years ago.

"This painting holds the memories of generations who have lived in this city," Gui said. "The boats in the artwork, when compared to the modern ferries we see today, create a powerful connection between past and present. This shared memory fosters a sense of unity and belonging among the people here."

This year, Gui will begin her studies at the University of Southern California. She hopes to use her camera to document Chinese relics that have been lost overseas.

"Many of these relics are of incredible artistic value, but they remain largely unknown to audiences back home," she said. "If possible, I want to be the eyes that bring their beauty to more people."

Contact the writers at mengwenjie@i21st.cn