Within the past ten years, China has experienced a surge of economic growth, ushering in a new era of Sino power. Politically, China has transitioned socialism towards economic liberalism. Economically, she has grown from an agrarian based society to an industrialized powerhouse of production. Socially, she has shifted from a legacy of collectivism towards a new culture of individualism. In essence, China has become a complicated amalgam of oriental tradition and global modernity.

Along with these changes comes a unique challenge. As China transitions from a state of relative isolation towards a more open international policy, she grapples with the tension between past and present – the struggle of holding on to ancient values and traditions, while striving for globalization and development. Rather than view the nation from a single dimensional perspective, an understanding of China requires an appreciation of the many shades of complexity that color the Chinese landscape.

Throughout my travels in China, I witnessed this internal tension in the lives, culture and architecture of the nation. These photographs serve as a visual representation of the multi-dimensionality of Chinese society, and act as a lens through which we can further consider the dichotomous relationship between China’s past and present. In creating this collection, I hope to present the socio-economic and cultural features that are a prominent aspect of this growing nation, and in doing so, I hope to draw the viewer to a closer understanding of China as a world of contrasts.

Biography

Veneka Chagwedera is an undergraduate student in the Woodrow Wilson School and a certificate student in the East Asian Studies Department. Fluent in Mandarin, she studied abroad in Hong Kong and lived in China for seven months where she studied China’s regional and foreign relations. Throughout her extensive travels to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Mongolia, she met many characters who deepened her understanding and appreciation of China from a social and economic perspective. Her time in China was a culminating experience that brought together her interest in international policy, language, and photography.