My doctoral research explores family photographs and home videos in China from the post-Maoist period to the pre-digital era (1980–2010). Through these vernacular images, I examine the transformation of private life, the emergence of individualism, and the evolving role of family memory in Chinese urban society.

This study is inspired by Beijing Silvermine, an extensive archive of over 850,000 anonymous photographs documenting the everyday lives of Chinese families during a time of profound social and economic change. While personal photography became widespread in many countries, in China, it remained a luxury and a bourgeois practice until the 1980s, when economic reforms enabled urban families to own cameras and camcorders.

By combining archival research with ethnographic fieldwork, my doctoral work moves beyond the study of images as objects to explore their anthropological significance. Family photos and videos are more than personal keepsakes—they reflect social structures, collective identities, and cultural practices, offering a unique lens into everyday transformations in contemporary China.