In 1937, the China Photo Studio was established by Yao Jingcai, a renowned portrait photographer in Shanghai. He and 18 other photographers set to travel to Beijing, the city that was set to boom at that time.
Yao Jingcai brought his 80-kilogram bulk camera that used silver plates.
Yao Jianzhong, the son of Yao Jingcai, was born in Beijing in 1956. His father was still operating the photo studio.
"If it wasn't for the China Photo Studio, I wouldn't have been born in Beijing," he said.
Beijing was set out to be the next center of the country's businesses. Yao recalled, "Somewhere between the discussions, I suppose, the idea of introducing old brand names from across the country to the capital was proposed. In the spring of 1956, several old Shanghai brands were 'brought' to Beijing, in a way that would be hard to imagine today."
Along with the photo studio, several businesses went to Beijing in 1937. There was one restaurant, one laundry shop, and four barber shops.
"They were all on the same train, with their belongings, heading for a strange city they would call home. For many, it was the first time in their life they'd left Shanghai," said Yao. "People say that a photo studio is a place to record stories in images, but there's no story about this institution that's more compelling than the one experienced by our forefathers--men who made it in Beijing after having made it in Shanghai."
The studio had to adapt to new technology over the years. Gao, one of the photographers, said he had to eventually learn how to use a computer.
"Gone are the days when a picture is hand-colored and the first thing a trainee like me learns is to sharpen a pencil in a way that it won't be easily broken," said Gao.