It is a remarkably revealing self portrait. Comprising almost 600 frank images taken between 1951 and 2003, the exhibition records in detail the daily lives of Chinese people, of all ages and from diverse backgrounds, at work, rest and play.

The photographs strikingly portray the impact social upheaval has had on the individual in recent generations, tracking their journey over five decades to recover a sense of individual self-worth.

Divided into four distinct themes - existence, relationship, desire and time - and selected from more than 100,000 works by over 1,000 photographers, the exhibition is a highlight of the year-long China Now In Scotland festival.

A new addition to the exhibition is a collection of short films which provide a further insight into the cultural and social life of a country which is home to a fifth of the world’s population.

A special series of talks and events on various aspects of Chinese life and culture are running in conjunction with the exhibition.

From the Guangdong Museum of Art, in Guangzhou, China. Arranged in partnership with the Confucius Institute for Scotland as part of China Now In Scotland.

Click here for full details of talks, workshops and family events to support this exhibition.
(note: Adobe pdf format: 441kb - opens in new browser window)

5th July - 14th September

Admission to Bond Bound and China: A Photographic Portrait
Adult £5, Concession £3.50, Children £2.50, Adult Season £10, Family £10

The City Art Centre's licensed café can provide you with a cup of tea or coffee, or a three-course meal.

City Art Centre
Located in the heart of the capital, with six exhibition galleries, the City Art Centre is Scotland's emporium of the visual arts. It is both home of the City's collection of Scottish Art, and one of the UK's leading temporary exhibition spaces.

Since opening in 1980, the City Art Centre has mounted a huge range of exhibitions, from rare Egyptian antiquities to the most innovative contemporary art, from Michelangelo drawings to Star Trek.

The scale and range of the programme has made the gallery one of Britain's most visited exhibition centres. The City's fine art collection consists of around 3,500 works of Scottish art: paintings, watercolours, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture and tapestries, including works by McTaggart, Fergusson, Peploe and Eardley.

Through purchase funds provided by the Jean E Watson Bequest, the collection has been kept up-to-date, by the acquisition of works by contemporary Scottish artists, including Davie, Blackadder, Paolozzi and Bellany.

In 1997, the collection was further enriched by a substantial gift from the Scottish Arts Council. The holdings also include topographical views of Edinburgh and portraits. Exhibitions drawn from the collection are a regular feature of the City Art Centre's programme.

Open: Monday to Saturday 10:00 - 17:00
Sunday 12:00 - 17:00