Portraits of reform

Cultural activities are staged during Lantern Festival. David Crook

Unlike many old photos taken by foreigners - those that typically portray senses of superiority and prejudice - the Crooks' images reflect their quiet and total immersion in village life. They were present at all kinds of local affairs, including weddings, funerals and ancestral worship ceremonies.

They captured snapshots of important moments during the reform, such as the founding of a farmers' union, village officials apologizing to residents for mistakes and villagers measuring land for distribution.

Some of the photographs also reveal the poverty of that time. These show villagers drawing water from a well, sitting on small stools and lighting cottonseed oil with pith wicks.

The Crooks also observed the double oppression to which women were subjected - heavy work in the fields and at home and yet, without a voice in society - which led to the formation of women's associations.

In a video shown at the exhibition, Isabel recalled how the association's head was selected. "One very hopeful candidate was a widow, who was very active in village activities," she recalls.

"She offered her house as a venue for the village band to rehearse. It, however, aroused gossip and she was considered to be 'not serving her moral duties as a widow'. Men who had a say in village affairs decided that the women's leader should be a model daughter-in-law.