Poignant 'selfies' from a stranger

A photo of Ye Jinglyu taken in 1949.

To Tong, however, researching the background of these people in the photos is one of the most interesting parts of his hobby.

"Who is he? Where is he? Why did he take this photo and what happened to him? Some answers are written under the photos but there is so much more to look for," said Tong.

One of Tong's most treasured photos is a portrait of a young woman that was taken in 1870 in Su San Xing, a famous photo studio in Shanghai. In the photo, the woman is dressed in a puffy Chinese costume and has jewelry pinned to her hair. A bottle of flowers, arranged in Western style, could also be seen behind her.

Following the fall of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), China was forced to open some of its port cities such as Shanghai to Western countries and this was when foreign lifestyles and culture starting seeping into the city.

When photography first appeared in China in 1844, Chinese thought of it as an evil being that could harm the soul. When people eventually became more open to photography, they nevertheless adhered to traditional Chinese aesthetic standards - anything that was not a full-body portrait was considered inauspicious as they were likened to decapitation. Shadows on the face were also not welcomed.

Photography was later popularized by the royal family and the affluent, and this inspired more Chinese, especially those in Shanghai, to embrace the Western invention. In 1861, the first modern photo studio was opened in Shanghai and it was not long after that other studios filled with props such as clocks, sofas and pianos starting appearing.

Starting from the 1920s, the photography scene in Shanghai started to thrive thanks to the booming celebrity culture that had influenced many to dress, pose and be pictured like their favorite stars.

"At that time, Shanghai was considered the benchmark of the country's aesthetic standards which photography helped to depict. Be it the volume of old photos or the quality of them, Shanghai tops the country," said Tong, who added that about one third of the photos in his collection are from Shanghai.