John Thomson and China

John Thomson (1837-1921) set off for Hong Kong in 1868 and in the next five years he undertook several major journeys photographing regions of China - from the Pearl River, Min River to the Yangtze River, and from Fuzhou, Guangzhou to Beijing. Photographs taken on these journeys form one of the most extensive records of any region taken in the 19th century. Thomson's ground-breaking work in China established him as a pioneer of photojournalism and one of the most influential travel photographers of his generation.

About the speaker:

Betty Yao MBE

London based curator of international touring exhibitions, member of the Hong Kong Society. Betty Yao's career in the arts spanned book publishing, music magazine and satellite television. It was during her last role as Programme Director of Asia House, London, that she was introduced to the John Thomson photographs at the Wellcome Library. In the past decade she has developed 3 acclaimed photography exhibitions which have toured to 28 cities across 3 continents. She is a regular lecturer and speaker at museums and institutions around the world.