Overview and Challenges of Chinese Folklore Photography

Folklore is an important component of a national culture. With the advance of human society, old traditions exude more lasting charm. This is not just out of nostalgia but from a national cultural identity. Folklore photography is an image-based visual embodiment of the historical value of folklore and contributes to cultural recording and inheritance. It displays an unparalleled power of expression in all forms of art. In China, a multi-ethnic country with one of the world’s greatest ancient civilizations, folklore photography shows rich and varied cultural connotations and forms of expression. This paper first introduces the value and significance of Chinese folklore photography, then reviews the important stages of its development and analyzes the difficulties and challenges therein, and finally looks into the future of Chinese folklore photography.