Sony World Photography Awards: 11 Chinese Photographers Shortlisted

The annual Sony World Photography awards has gathered increasing popularity and the number of entries has surpassed a million since it first launched in 2007. This year’s competition received over 200,000 entries, and surprisingly, 11 Chinese photographers have been shortlisted: seven in the professional category where their works will be judged from a series of images; two in the open competition, based on a single image; and two in the youth competition for photographers under the age of 19.

Perhaps it is not so surprising after all. Since the introduction of open economic policy began in earnest in the 1980s, China has risen rapidly. It is now become the top global economic power, having overtaken United States in 2015. While the speed of transition from a traditional socialist economic model to a full embrace of the capitalist entrepreneurship has been profound, it is inevitable that many social issues such as the protection of the environment; the increasing imbalance of the rich and the poor; and the incessant pursuit of wealth at the expense of moral principles have all taken a back-seat in the mere 35 years since the policy was introduced. It is within this ambivalent climate that some of the participating Chinese photographers have turned their focus.

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