China in a Mirror

An inspired voyage through China that offers n ew insights into the countryâs rich cultural heritage through the juxtaposition of ancient a rt works and contemporary photographs. Using the mirror as their motif, the seasoned photographers Roland and Sabrina Michaud pair traditional Chinese art works, some of which date back eight centuries,with their own photographs of China taken over a period of nearly twenty years. The pairings evoke an enduring civilization rooted in faith and tradition and offer a striking comparison between the land, faces, customs, and lifestyle of China and the Chinese, past and present. Terraced landscapes and mist-shrouded mountaintops, flora and fauna, a rts and technology, rural farmers and children: the a rt work and photographs bear witness to the rich history and heritage of this vast country, which have remained largely unchanged over the centuries. Extracts from ancient Chinese literature and philosophy, as well as beautiful flourishes of Chinese calligrap hy, underscore the timelessness of the images. Far from cliché, this keepsake volume unveils part of the my s t e ry surrounding this ancestral civilization and, at a time of social change and unprecedented economic expansion, evokes the extraordinary continuity of Chinaâs heritage.