Chuqiao Liu's powerful photography offers a glimpse into contemporary China

Born into a small rural village in southern China, and producing most of her artistic work in the bustling city of Glasgow, Chuqiao Liu is a photographer who has always been fascinated by the changes and contradictions caused by the developments of modern society. “China today is in a critical period of transformation, with rapid political and economic developments exacerbating the divide between each generation,” Chuqiao tells It’s Nice That. “The rebellious and depressed new generation, the confused and depraved middle-aged, and the elder ones who have come from the war and been left behind by the times.”

She cites her “agrarian” patriarchal childhood as making her an “uncompromising feminist”, leading her to cover a lot of issues surrounding gender and equality in her photography. “Artists all have their humanistic concerns, but I hope that my work does not lead the viewer directly,” she says. “But rather, I hope it awakens their thoughts about life by stimulating them to think.” It certainly does, as Chuqiao’s work gives a powerful glimpse into today’s youth of China, allowing us to “feel the wave of thought and power brought by different cultures".