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"Through the images they made, they established the core of China’s rural photographic culture," says Jin Yongquan.

Ying Zhaoyun, 73, a photographer from Suixi, Anhui province, remembers the old days when he took photos for peasants. "They didn’t appreciate a picture with layers of light, believing that only a ghost’s face has shades. They wanted their faces like immortals in Chinese paintings, white and smooth, with no shades. So, I normally use flat lighting on their faces."

In those days, having your picture taken was a big deal for rural people, especially for family reunions. The whole family would discuss the event and put on their best clothes.

"It’s like a great ritual," a netizen named "Hand-to-Hand" wrote online after reading Wang’s book. "I remember back in 1978, I was a first grader. One afternoon, my mom rushed to school to take me home for a family photograph. A photographer had arrived in our village. His camera was big, and had a wood stand and a black cloth in front of it. The photographer was hiding in the cloth, with one hand holding a rubber air ball, directing us ‘hold still and look at here’. Then I heard ‘kata’, and he pushed the shutter. The whole process was so great that it felt like a grand ceremony or something. I miss those times."