19th century photos reveal past

An artist in Hong Kong.

"In China today there are a lot of television dramas set in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), but I'd say maybe some of the costume design is not authentic," Yao says. She believes that the Chinese found it hard to document their own history as local photographers in Thomson's era were not as well trained as he was.

Yao says she also found Thomson's depiction of Chinese women very interesting. Her favorites are two portraits of contrasting women, one of a beautiful young bride showing traces of sorrow and the other of a boatwoman expressing her freedom.

"The young Manchu bride was getting married, her clothes are very beautiful, but if you look at her eyes they are tinged with sadness. Her life is predictable, and she has to fall into the ways of her husband's family and live the rest of her life that way."

"That contrasts with the other photograph of a Guangdong boatwoman wearing a simple cotton shirt. Thomson was able to capture her eyes, and there is a sense of freedom in them. She is not necessarily rich, but she is free."

Thomson's ability to capture such intricate details of the women's inner feelings fascinates Yao, especially because his camera was heavy and exposure times were slow. "Even today, it's hard to capture women's inner feelings, yet Thomson did it quite successfully."

China: Through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 runs at Shenzhen Museum from March 20 to May 20, Jiangning Imperial Silk Manufacturing Museum in Nanjing from July 18 to Aug 20, and China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou from Aug 9 to Oct 7.