Photos of Shi shaohua are on show at An Epic through Shi Shaohua's Lens at the National Art Museum of China. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Shi Shaohua (1918-98) is recognized as one of the country's three leading photographers, together with Sha Fei and Wu Yinxian, whose works document the course of the Communist Party of China in the 1930s and '40s.

Shi, who was born in Hong Kong and moved to Guangzhou at 5, went to Yan'an, Shaanxi province, in 1938 and joined the Party there.

He then became a photographer, capturing the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49).

Now, dozens of his photos are on show at An Epic through Shi Shaohua's Lens, an exhibition reviewing his career spanning six decades, at the National Art Museum of China, which runs through Sept 2.

Also on show are photos he took after the foundation of New China, including works showing the country's development and portraits of prominent cultural figures.