The National Art Museum of China launches Images of China — A Series of Works by Chinese Master Photographers this month to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its founding this year.

The inaugural exhibition in the series presents a retrospective show of the "father of Asian photography" Lang Jingshan (1892-1995), with more than 130 photos generously donated by Lang's family. Lang was nurtured in an art atmosphere in childhood and became fascinated by photography since middle school.

In the 1920s, he worked for Shen Bao (Shanghai News) and Shi Bao (Times) as a photojournalist. His interest in artistic photographs led to a productions of landscape photos in which he introduced elements of Chinese ink painting. He later created unique "composite photos", best expressing the spirit of Chinese literati painting via the channel of Western photography.

In 1980, Lang was elected one of the world's top 10 photographers by the Photographic Society of America, marking recognition in the international photographic community for his expression of the oriental aesthetics and Chinese cultural flavors.

The portrait of Lang Jingshan. Photo provided to China Daily