Seven women in the studio, by Lai Fong, 1881 影棚中的七个妇女 黎芳摄 （1881年）
Do you know who was the most famous Chinese photographer when photography first entered China in the second half of the 19th century?
你知道中国最有名的第一代摄影师是谁吗？
Lai Fong was his name. More than 400 of Lai Fong's photographs are now housed in the renowned Loewentheil Photography of China Collection in New York with a collection of over 21,000 early photographs of China.
他叫黎芳（又被译作“赖阿芳”）。纽约著名的“洛文希尔中国摄影珍藏”藏有早期中国的21000多张照片，其中就包括400多张黎芳的摄影作品。
In 2020, an unprecedented exhibition, "Lai Fong (c.1839–1890): Photographer of China", was showcased at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, presenting nearly 50 of Lai Fong's photographs of China in the 1870s and 1880s.
2020年，美国康奈尔大学约翰逊艺术博物馆曾特地从这400多张珍贵照片里，遴选近50张对外展出。据悉，这是为中国早期摄影师举办的世界首展。
Chinese performers, by Lai Fong, 1870s 中国优伶，黎芳摄（1870年代）
These photographs depict the rapid growth and magnificent changes in some Chinese cities, like Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. People from all walks of life, landscapes, architecture, monuments and customs of China in the late Qing Dynasty can be spotted through the lens of the Chinese master photographer.
该展览名为《中国摄影巨擘：黎芳(1839—1890)》，借由“19世纪中国最优秀摄影师”黎芳的视角，以商贸经济、风物景观、人物肖像、市井生活、城市建筑为主题，由近及远地展开时间轴，再现了晚清时期香港、广州、上海、北京等城市的风貌，带观众一窥近代中国社会生活图景。
The Bund in Shanghai, by Lai Fong, in the 1870s 上海滩，黎芳摄（约1870年代）
Pathway leading to the Ming Tombs in Beijing, by Lai Fong 北京明十三陵，黎芳摄
Queen's Road, Hong Kong, by Lai Fong, 1870 香港，第319号──皇后大道中，黎芳摄（约1870年）
Today, let's get to know this preeminent Chinese photographer together.
今天就让我们去好好了解一下这位优秀的摄影师吧。
Born in 1839 in Gaoming County (present-day Gaoming district of Foshan city), Lai Fong moved to Hong Kong when he was young, and founded the first Chinese-owned commercial photography studio on Queen's Road, Hong Kong at the age of 20.
1839年，黎芳出生于广东省肇庆府高明县（今广东省佛山市高明区），少年时迁居香港。1859年，黎芳在香港皇后大道，创立了第一家由中国人开设的商业摄影工作室“华芳映相楼”。
With his painstaking efforts, the studio became one of the most successful photography studios in Hong Kong.
经过黎芳几十年的经营，“华芳映相楼”逐渐成为香港最有名的摄影工作室，堪称“晚清中国最成功的照相馆”。
A portrait of Lai Fong, with his signature ‘Afong’ and the brand name of his studio ‘华芳’ written at the bottom. 黎芳自拍肖像，1869年前后，橱柜照片大小，蛋白印相，含英文签名“Afong”，及中文签名“华芳”，并题“艺术家自拍像”。
What was the secret of Lai's success? It owed much to his talented photography techniques.
“华芳映相楼”成功的背后必然离不开黎芳精湛的摄影技术。
Lai was especially gifted in portrait work and had his own unique photography techniques. Primary service of his studio was to shoot portraits and photos of social life for the upper class.
黎芳非常擅长照人物肖像，其工作室业务也主要负责肖像和社交生活图片。他在人物摄像上，有自己的独特见解，认为肖像作品在造型和画面处理上不应该完全按照自然中的面貌。
A photo portraying Chinese people at dinner, by Lai Fong, 1880 吃中餐的人们，黎芳摄（1880年）
Influenced by traditional Chinese painting, his works featured a strong Chinese style. Thus his photography works are not only warmly welcomed by Chinese people, but also deeply loved by Europeans.
他的审美趣味还受到中国传统绘画形式的影响，作品中带着强烈的中国风格，也正因为如此，他的摄影作品不仅受到中国人的热烈欢迎，也深得欧洲人喜爱。
The Scottish photographer, John Thomson, whose Hong Kong studio was established later on the same street as Lai Fong's, said Lai was 'a man of exquisite taste' who 'produces works that would enable him to make a living even in London'.
当时在中国工作的苏格兰摄影师约翰·汤姆逊对黎芳赞叹有加，称黎芳有“很高的艺术修养和独特的鉴赏能力”。
St. Anthony's Church, Macao, by Lai Fong, 1874 澳门圣安东尼教堂，黎芳摄（1874年）
In addition to portraits, Lai was also good at photographing the secular life and landscapes.
除了拍摄人物肖像外，黎芳也很擅长拍摄社会的世俗生活和风光摄影。
Most of his early landscape works show the fantastic landscapes of some Chinese cities such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou and Xiamen in the late Qing Dynasty, allowing us to take a glimpse into people's lifestyle, landscapes, architecture, historical sites and the Chinese culture in the 19th century.
他早期拍摄的风光作品展现了晚清时期中国城市如香港、广州、北京、上海、福州和厦门的奇丽景观，让当代人一窥19世纪的中国人物、风景、城市、建筑、历史遗迹以及文化风貌。
Fujian Guild Hall, by Lai Fong, 1869 福建会馆，黎芳摄（1869年）
Another key to Lai's success lied in his excellent marketing skills.
当然，一个成功的摄影家除了会拍摄，还要有出色的营销技巧。
Lai Fong hired some foreign photographers to work in his studio so that he could have more spare time to take photos. The gifted photographer also kept good relations with the officials, which secured him the job as a designated photographer for many overseas diplomatic officers.
黎芳不仅雇佣了外国摄影师为其工作，让自己可以有充足的时间与财力从事工作之外的摄影，他还和当时的很多“高层”打好关系，成为很多外国外交官们指定的摄影师。比如，1879年，黎芳访问北京时，就负责帮外国外交官们拍照。此外，他跟当时香港政府亦交情匪浅，每逢政府有西方贵客来访或者有重大活动，都会请他去拍照。
British diplomats in Beijing, by Lai Fong, 1879 北京的英国外交官，黎芳 摄（1879年）
With the money he made from photography, Lai Fong started investing in land and factory and amassed a fortune. Later, after Lai Fong died, his studio was taken over by his descendants and had to be closed down in 1941 when the Japanese army invaded Hong Kong.
精湛的摄影艺术与出色的营销技巧，使得黎芳的财富稳步增长。利用摄影赚到的钱，黎芳还涉足地皮与工厂的投资，积累了不少的财富。黎芳去世后，其摄影工作室由其子孙继续经营，直到1941年日军入侵香港才停业。
Author: Yuan
Supervisor: Lv Yun
Editor: Lv Yun
Source: GZ-Maritimesilkroad (丝路云帆Silu Yunfan), official Wechat account of City Alliance for the Preservation and world Heritage Inscription of Maritime Silk Road Heritage