Meanwhile, the Chinese photographic circle was active in participating in international photographic exchanges. From 1957 to 1965, PSC selected and recommended photographs to participate in international photographic exhibitions or national photographic exhibitions in the 14 countries of the Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Democratic Germany, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Ceylon, France, and Pakistan. Chinese photographic works won a lot of gold, silver and bronze medals in these competitions. They were welcomed and favored by the photographic circles in these countries. From 1959 to 1961, PSC was awarded with the Hungarian Vice-Prime Minister Münnich Cup at the 3rd Hungarian International Photographic Exhibition and an Honor Award at the Hungarian Budapest International Photographic Exhibition, because of the excellence of the photos.

II. Standstill and setback (1966 -- 1976)

In the decade from June 1966 to September 1976, because of the interference and impacts of the Cultural Revolution, China did not hold and take part in any international photographic exhibitions, not to mention sponsoring any foreign photographic shows in the country. China’s photographic exchanges with the outside world came to a standstill. The only exceptions were Chinese Photographer Delegation, headed by Shang Jin, with Hu Baoyu and Wang Jingde as members, visited Albania in 1967, and another photographic delegation visited Vietnam.

III. Flourishing (1977 -- 1997)

When the 10-year tough winter of Cultural Revolution ended, spring returned to the Chinese land. Having smashed the Gang of Four and, particularly since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Party Congress, the Chinese socialist construction entered a new historical development stage. Along with growingly active diplomatic and cultural exchanges with the outside world, China greeted vigorous progress and a new spring in photographic exchanges with foreign countries. Under the guidance of the spirits of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Party Congress, PSC embarked on exchanges with foreign countries in 1978. The previous channels interrupted in the Cultural Revolution were gradually resumed and new scopes explored. To date, the Chinese photographic circle has established contacts with hundreds of photographic organizations across the world. In 1981, it officially joined the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), the only international photographic organization recognized by the United Nations. Statistics show that from 1978 to 1996, about 200 Chinese photographic groups and 800 photographers paid friendly and professional visits to scores of countries. During the same period, about 300 foreign photographic groups and 1,000 photographers visited China. Chinese photographers presented their works to international photographic exhibitions, winning over 400 prizes. China and many countries held hundreds of photographic exhibitions in each other’s cities, with diversified themes, contents and styles, showing continuous improvement of Chinese photographic levels. By 1997, China had sponsored seven international photographic exhibitions, attracting a mass of photographic fans and shaking the international photographic circle. They were favored by photographers from various countries to become an occasion of joyful celebration in the photographic circle. China also held a number of large-scale camera equipment exhibitions. Chinese photographers attended a lot of international photographic exhibition evaluations and academic discussions and exchanges. The Chinese photographic circle exchanged widely with foreign counterparts in photographic creation, theories, education, and camera equipment development through diversified international exchanges, which promoted rapid development of the Chinese photographic undertakings.

During the period, China’s photographic exchanges with the outside world showed some prominent features: 1. The exchanges continually expanded in scales and scopes. In nearly two decades from 1978 to 1996, China’s photographic exchanges with foreign countries increased by tens or even hundred times in cases and persons involved, compared with those before the Cultural Revolution. The scopes of exchanges were also expanded. Chinese photographers came into contact with many countries in Asia, Europe, America, Africa and Oceania. They maintained close relations, in particular, with photographically developed European and American countries. Meanwhile, they were in close ties with the photographic circles in Hong Kong and Macao. 2. They facilitated improving photographic levels and modes of expression. As more photographic works and camera equipment were imported from abroad, the photographic circle began to have broader visions, which promoted the photographic levels in the country and initiated obvious changes in the skills, techniques and modes of expression. 3. China joined FIAP to become a member of the international photographic family. It came into contact with photographic organizations in many countries, and opened up channels for mutual visits and exhibiting works in each other’s country. They helped to elevate the status of the Chinese photographic circle. 4. Chinese photographers gradually stepped towards the world through exhibiting their works in other countries and participating in international photographic shows. The works of Chinese photographers were favored by the international photographic circles and the audiences with their rich national features and fresh and healthy styles.

In these two decades, China made frequent visits with the rest of the world. In 1979, China resumed communication with the Japanese photographic circle. Chen Cangqian, vie-chairman of China Photographers Association (CPA), was invited to participate in a photographic competition sponsored by UNESCO Asia Culture Center in Tokyo, and acted as a member of the panel of judges. In 1980, Xu Xiaobing, chairman of CPA, led a delegation to visit Japan. It was the first Chinese photographic delegation visiting a foreign country in the new historic stage. It came into contacts with a wide range of people in Tokyo, Osaka and Nara, and people from the Japanese photographic circle. The delegation watched 11 photographic exhibitions of diversified themes and styles, and inspected the photographic creation, photographic education, and photographic organization activities in Japan. Wherever they went, the delegation was well received. In 1981, Gao Fan, vie-chairman of CPA, and Huang Shaofen, chairwoman of the Shanghai Branch, were invited to visit France and participate in a Chinese photographic exhibition in France. It was the first time for Chinese photographers to visit West Europe. In 1982, a Chinese photographer delegation, led by Xu Xiaobing, visited New York, Washington and Rochester. It was the first time for people of the photographic circle to visit the United States. The delegation visited the American Society of Magazine Photographers (ASMP) and International Center of Photography in New York. ASMP, one of the largest photographic organizations in the United States, was largely to protect the copyrights of photographers. International Center of Photography mainly launched photographic education, receiving about 1,000 students each year. The delegation visited the World Photographic Development History Show and Chinese Landscape Photographic Exhibition in Washington. In Rochester, it visited Eastman Kodak Co. During its stay in the United States, the delegation discussed with the American photographic circle, briefed operations in the photographic circles in each other’s countries, and exchanged operation experiences. The United States was one of the most developed in the photographic undertakings. The visit helped to make more friends, enhanced understanding between the photographic circles in the two countries, and paved way for further cooperation in the photographic sector between the two countries.