Bruno Barbey, French photographer. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Since joining Magnum in 1964, Barbey has covered news events and social developments in every corner of the globe.

"In the golden age of photojournalism, as a Magnum photographer he was always on the scene; he stood right at the crossroads of history," says Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China and a correspondent member of the French Academy of Fine Arts.

"Not only did he document China's past, but also, tinged with an insightful sense, he captured its dramatic transformation from a traditional civilization to one in the throes of modernization."