Photo Exhibition "Nihao China" 1961-2021 Tracing the Changes
June 24 - July 28, 2024 / Mohr-Villa
This photo exhibition unveils a multifaceted panorama of China's rapid development over the past sixty years. The exhibition showcases a selection of remaining China photographs taken by Dr. med. Köntopp and the newly captured photographs by his great-grandson. His great-grandson, Jakob Becker, discovered the photographs and subsequently traveled to China in 2021. He visited the same locations as his great-grandfather did sixty years ago.
The images vividly depict China's rapid transformation. At the time Dr. med. Köntopp captured the images, China was a battered nation. The 'Great Leap Forward' initiated by Mao Zedong aimed to bridge the gaps between 'city and countryside,' 'brain and hand,' as well as 'industry and agriculture,' and to narrow the gap with Western industrialized nations. However, it failed, culminating in the great Chinese famine from 1959 to 1961.
Dr. med. Köntopp flew to China in 1961 with a delegation of German scientists from Berlin-Lichtenberg, DDR, to participate in a social and sanitary exchange with Chinese colleagues. The four-week journey took them through the former Soviet Union with layovers in Brest, now Belarus, and Moscow, through Mongolia to China. Visits to the cities of Tianjin, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Conghua, and Foshan were documented through photography. In addition to daily life scenes, the images feature portraits, landscapes, and cityscapes.
The nearly 300 travel photos were taken by Köntopp using an Exakta Varex 35mm single-lens reflex camera, predominantly with a 50mm standard lens, as slides. Historically, it is noteworthy that Köntopp's shots are in color, as at that time in China, photography was still predominantly in black and white.
Exhibition Duration: June 24 - July 28, 2024
Opening Hours: Monday 1 pm - 4 pm, Thursday 5 pm - 7 pm, and by appointment
Admission is free.
Venue:
Mohr-Villa Kaminzimmer, Situlistraße 75
You can purchase the exhibition's photo book from us.