https://www.hpcbristol.net/
HIstorical Photographs of China is a project based at the University of Bristol that covers over a century of Chinese modern history. The aim of the project is to collect and digitize photographs of China, most of which were taken and owned by private individuals. Most of the photos come from people living outside of China, significant because of the number of photographs and other works destroyed in China during the twentieth century. The website organizes photos by photographer, and each photo is tagged in order to be searchable. Each photographer has a short biography, and each photo has a description. The photos cover all types of subjects, and were taken by both professional and amateur photographers. One of the most interesting features is the "Lucky Dip" button, which takes you to a page showing a random selection of photos from the collection. This allows you to browse the many interesting photos if you do not have something in particular you want to look for. The website also has a huge number of links to other sites about China, East Asia, and visual history.
Photographs are such a valuable resource when teaching history because they are very engaging. For students, seeing a photo of something they are studying often makes the subject feel more real and more connected to them. There are images on this site that can accompany lessons for any topic of modern Chinese history. I think this would be very helpful in developing students' visual literacy skills. I might put up a photo without title or context, and ask students to analyze the image to see how much information they could get from it. I could then provide some context, such as the date the photo was taken, and ask if that changes their thoughts on what the photo shows. I also think it would be interesting to have students click the Lucky Dip button and choose an image that they find particularly interesting to share. If anyone decides to use this website in class, the project director invites you to email him and share how you have used it.
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