Enlightenment And Witness: Early Research On The History Of Photography In Shanxi (1845-1919)

French sociologist Foucault traces the origins of modernity to the 19th century.Photography as a visual device brings an objective and true modern visual view,as well as a modern transformation of the way of viewing.This paper starts with the photography practice of Shanxi from 1845 to 1919 to explore the technical and visual enlightenment in the context of modernization.Since the modern times,there have been significant differences in the development of various regions in China.Shanxi is located inland,with a closed natural environment and relatively slow development.In addition,in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China,natural disasters occurred frequently in Shanxi,and the social situation was extremely unstable.It was difficult to start in modern times.Studying the history of early photography in Shanxi is to re-examine photography in the history of the region and society.The Shanxi merchant family actively studied photography,and self-portraits and photos reflecting family life were retained,which was the enlightenment of subjective consciousness.Photographing between friends and relatives has replaced the portrait shop as a new image generation mechanism,which is a modern way of communication for family entertainment.Subsequent photo studios are an important medium for commercializing and popularizing photography.During the reign of Emperor Guangxu,Li Timo,who came to Taiyuan from the disaster relief in Shandong Province,not only founded the Shanxi University Hall,but also brought western technology such as photography to Shanxi,and the photo studio began to appear.At the end of the 19th century,the "Taiyuan Religious Case" in the Boxer Rebellion became a huge burden of Shanxi's economy.Since then,the missionaries have opened schools in Shanxi,educated the people and photographed the local customs of Shanxi.The Shanxi Bao Mining Movement,the May Fourth Movement,and the Xinhai Revolution,a group of people from all walks of life in Shanxi Province,used as a means of communication of modernity to promote revolutionary ideas.Photography,as a new thing,has changed people's perceptions and perceptions of things.This article is divided into four chapters.The first chapter is the introduction,which introduces the research significance,research status and research methods of this thesis.The second chapter discusses the enlightenment of early Shanxi photography in combination with the western learning practice of the Shanxi merchant family.Active study photography is a symbol of the awakening of subjective consciousness,and it is also a cultural consciousness under the influence of new technologies.The locals opened the first photo studio in Shanxi with a camera left by a foreign missionary,and the photography began to be commercialized and popularized.The third chapter is the extensive practice of integrating early photography into Shanxi.At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China,Western scholars not only photographed the cave carvings in Shanxi,but also the daily life of the lower society,retaining the earliest record of Shanxi.The old photographs of the physical entities are now used to restore the artifacts,reflecting the unique value of the photographic medium.The fourth chapter is the active acceptance of the people and the highlight of the commercial attributes of photography.The development of photo studios reflects the commercial value of photography.In the revolutionary movements such as the Revolution of 1911,photography was used as a visual medium for self-identification and national spirit.In the process of modernization,photography as a visual technology brings new insights to people from all aspects.