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To a great extent, without rural photographers, many rural families might not otherwise had any family portraits.

But, the sense of mysterious ritual that photography once obtained is more of an archeology-like legend in rural China today. The ubiquity of smartphones dilutes the ritual power. People can take photos of themselves anytime, anywhere with smartphones that all have built-in cameras. You hardly feel anything anymore," says Jin Yongquan. In the history of Chinese photography, there are blank pages where the story of rural photographers should be. Wang’s book has filled that blank with its narrative details about how and why the photographers stepped into this field in the first place, and how they witnessed photography flourishing and fading away, says Wu Peng, noted photography theorist.

In an effort to promote rural photography, Wang Yong recently set up the "Central China Photo Studio Club" on the outskirts of Yongcheng. The club will regularly display photos by rural people and hold photography workshops and training. Of the project, Wang says, "I want to maintain images from the perspective of folk society. It’s important for our children to understand how we’ve reached where we are today."