Yesterday’s Youth: Middle-school Students in the 1980s

For China, the 1980s was an era of many new introductions and concepts. During the decade, well-known photographer Ren Shulin visited many middle schools in Beijing to observe classes, witness student life during a transformative generation, and capture it all with his gentle, lyrical photographic language. 

A total of 70 photos were printed in the book. As one of the key members of April, the oldest organization specializing in documentary photographic exhibitions in China, Ren used his own unique style to document the rich, colorful lives of the middle-school students of that era without any trace of staged photography.

“The strength of his photography is the inertia of the lingering charm, which is the nature of photography,” commented Gu Zheng, a renowned Chinese artist and curator. 

The book also includes several articles by Ren Shulin recounting his early years, including his reasoning in choosing to focus on middle-school students, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, his experience learning from senior photographer Di Yuancang and his friendship with amateur photographers. 

The people in his photos aren’t merely reminders of the 1980s. Rather, they represent different memories of yesteryear for every viewer from any era. Ren opens a door back to poetic and idealistic eras. 

“I want students who are now consumed by various tests and exams to see the lives of the older generation through these photos,” declared Chen Danqing, an eminent Chinese artist and writer. “Photographic work like this is the only way to show them what we endured.” 

Ren Shulin is a distinguished photographer in modern China. He is a member of the China Photographers Association and the Royal Photographic Society. In 2010, he won the Excellent Photographer Award at Pingyao International Photography Festival. His most famous works include Excellent Worker, College Entrance Examination in Beijing, 1980, The Middle-school Students in the 1980s, and The Scenery of Yunnan
Province.