Back in the picture

When photographer Hei Ming looks at pictures taken in front of the Tian'anmen Rostrum in the 1960s and now, one thing in particular strikes him. Photos taken during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) often show people holding small books of quotations from former Chairman Mao Zedong, a daily necessity at that time.

But when Hei invited them to take new pictures with the same poses, they substituted Mao's book with senior citizens' cards, mobile phones, bank passbooks or passports.

"The unanimous ideology of Chairman Mao's book, which was almost a must in the past, has given way to various items like the mobile phone. It is obvious that Chinese people's thoughts and ways of living have become more diverse," Hei says.