The presence of contemporary Chinese artists on the international art market has steadily increased in recent years: China made a major presentation at the Venice Biennale in 1990, and Chinese artists have been celebrated at numerous exhibitions in their own country and abroad since then. Photography, which plays an increasingly important role in Chinese art, has become the leading medium for the representation of rapidly changing social realities and the problems of identity associated with them. This lavishly illustrated volume presents 21 photographers, offering profound insights into the lively photography scene of China. With the exception of two photographers from the Mao Tse-tung era, the selection focuses on the present generation of photographers between the ages of thirty and forty. Using a wide range of different styles-from documentary to straight photography-the photographers respond to the world around them and the issues facing Chinese society, such as rapid urban growth and the cultural clash of socialist Chinese culture and the world of capitalism and consumption. (English edition available ISBN 3-7757-1543-6) Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, October 9, 2004-January 9, 2005