China

By Yann Layma

Book Overview

No Western photographer is as intimately acquainted with China as Yann Layma, who spent nearly half of his twenty-year career working there. Layma's reportage of this vast country is extraordinarily complete: he portrays city and country, traditional customs and the shock of modernity, and every aspect of public and private life. His style is personal and poetic, and he is alive to nuances of gesture and expression. From the classical architecture of the Great Wall to the skyscrapers of up-to-the minute Shanghai, he captures the essence of one of the world's great nations. With an introduction by Layma and five essays by highly regarded writers--including Da Sijie, author of the celebrated novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress --this smaller, giftable edition of China will be a wonderful introduction to this fascinating country, filled with illuminating juxtapositions of old and new.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810970910
• ISBN13: 9780810970915
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.8" x 9.8"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Scenes of the orient

This is a rich, glossy photobook of China. I bought the book because my family has ties to China. Wonderful pictures, a delight to the eye.

A masterpiece!!

This is clearly a labor of love. Most of the photos are printed centerfold style across both pages and bled to the edge. Each of these photos deserves to be displayed this way. The captions are in a separate section at the back of the book. This forces you study the photo without surrendering to the superficial urge to have someone explain what you're looking at. The subtle detail, the awesome colors, light and shading, the absolutely incredible eye of this photographer are truly amazing. The text is as descriptive, informative and creative as the photos. I've sat for hours at a time with this book and look forward to studying it for many hours more. This book is giving me a whole new perspective for first trip to China this summer. For anyone who wants to glimpse the heart of China this is a "must have".

take a look

for me purchasing this book of photos was a gamble. i did not get a chance to flip through the various pages before taking it home with me. and for the first time i came out a winner. this hercules sized book holds various themes. for those who lived in china or been there, would find nostalgia as you turn the crisp pages. for those who never been to china, looking through this book would be a vacation all its own. the author not only tackles the traditional scenes but also the present. as describes above this book was a compilation of 20+ years of a journey throughout china. enjoy!the only frown was the order of the captions. i felt that it should of been put in the order in which the picture was taken. other than that, it's great.