I have long been an avid follower of contemporary Chinese photography, which still is not quite as easily accessible as it should be. Fortunately, there is now a slowly increasing number of books showcasing Chinese photography, with 3030: New Photography in China being just the latest one of these.

3030: New Photography in China presents thirty Chinese photographers under the age of 30. While I am typically not very keen on seeing such age restrictions, in this case, it does make some sense: China’s re-discovery of capitalism is only a very recent affair, and the age restriction selects only those photographers who have been growing up in this new, capitalist climate.

Of course, there is a downside, namely that the work shown in 3030: New Photography in China is often not very mature and quite hit and miss. But then, the variety of work is very diverse, and this reviewer’s hit might be someone else’s miss. I think it’s quite a good assumption to say that some of the photographers in 3030: New Photography in China we will see more oft in the future, and as a general overview of young photography from China 3030: New Photography in China is quite excellent.