名称: Guangzhou Street/广州街头
类别: Albumen Print/蛋清照片 
日期: 1870
尺寸: 22x29cm 


名称: Lingnan Garden/岭南花园亭阁 
类别: Albumen Print/蛋清照片 
日期: 1870
尺寸: 22x29cm 


Ya Zhen Studio was an influential photographic institution in Guangzhou and Hong Kong during the late Qing dynasty. Its financier was a local dentist who also worked as a part-time photographer. In the 1870s, he invested his steady income in acquiring advanced photographic equipment and glass plate technology, and subsequently established studios in both Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The studio’s subjects were wide-ranging, including portraits of local residents, bustling street scenes, surrounding landscapes, and architectural landmarks. These works not only fulfilled the commemorative needs of the public at the time but also provided foreign visitors and overseas Chinese with valuable visual records of Lingnan society and its natural environment. 

雅真照相馆（Ya Zhen Studio）是19世纪晚清时期在广州和香港具有影响力的影像机构，其出资人是一位当地牙医，同时也是兼职摄影师。他在1870年代利用稳定的职业收入，投资购置先进的照相设备与玻璃底片技术，并在广州、香港设立照相馆。雅真照相馆的影像题材涵盖广泛，既有市民肖像，也有街市景象、周边风光及地标建筑。这些作品不仅满足当时人们的纪念需求，也为外国访客与华侨提供了反映岭南社会与自然风貌的视觉资料。 

In terms of artistic achievement, Ya Zhen Studio was distinguished by its meticulous treatment of light and shadow and its precise sense of composition. Its works combined documentary authenticity with artistic sensibility, elevating photography beyond simple record-keeping to a medium of aesthetic expression. Especially in depictions of Guangzhou’s lively marketplaces, the Pearl River, and colonial-era architecture in Hong Kong, the images are both vivid and atmospheric, reflecting the photographer’s keen eye for spatial layering and tonal depth, and demonstrating a remarkably high level of professionalism for the period. The surviving photographs of Ya Zhen Studio are today considered important resources for the study of Lingnan social history, the history of photography, and urban development. Some of its works are preserved in prominent museums and libraries around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Hong Kong Museum of History. These collections not only underscore the studio’s dual value in both art and history but also affirm its significant place in the history of early Chinese photography. 

在艺术成就上，雅真照相馆的作品以细致的光影处理与精确的构图著称。它能够在保持纪实性的同时，兼具艺术美感，使影像超越单纯的记录，展现出一种具有审美价值的视觉语言。特别是在表现广州繁华街景、珠江水域及殖民地时期香港建筑时，其作品既真实生动，又体现出摄影师对画面层次与氛围的敏锐把握，显示出极高的专业水准。 雅真照相馆遗存的部分照片如今被视为研究岭南社会史、摄影史及城市史的重要资料。其影像作品目前散见于世界多家博物馆和图书馆收藏之中，包括伦敦维多利亚与阿尔伯特博物馆（V&A）、美国旧金山亚洲艺术博物馆，以及香港历史博物馆等。这些收藏不仅彰显了雅真照相馆在艺术与历史上的双重价值，也使其在中国早期摄影史上的地位得到进一步确认。 >>返回>>